Pauline


My name is Pauline Brown and I suffer from a rare condition Dercums Disease with Lipoedema, which took 5yrs to diagnose.

Dercums is a very painful condition consisting of abnormal fatty lypomas. There is no cure or effective pain treatment for myself, nor is there any research in the UK.

The only option I have left is Rehabilitative liposuction of which I need on abdomen, anterior/ posterior thighs, buttocks, flanks and lower back. 

To look at me you wouldn’t guess anything was wrong but each day I am in constant pain and every footstep I take I am in pain. I put on a brave face daily because I am the sole carer of a 12yr old. 

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In 2014 I had over 200 of these things, and was told i need to find a Dercums specialist asap. My reply at the time ‘There isn’t one’, and that was that. It’s now 2020. 

I also have abnormal lypomas on brain and in my neck which is a rarer thing still for a Dercums sufferer. If they get into my heart or lungs then it’s fatal for me. 

I have always had a positive mindset but need assistance now as things are getting much worse and there is no cure.>>>

I was promised help by NHS plastic surgeon last year then 10 mths later told I do not qualify for help, which left me extremely distressed. I have recently been given a name of a Plastic surgeon here in the UK and they are willing to help me but it’s a private hospital. 


Paolo Pisarra


I am always busy between two different jobs, class in the morning and then rehearsal in the afternoon, ready for the next audition. 

Living in London sometimes feels like living in a film, especially for me because I come from a small village in the middle of nowhere in Puglia, Italy. Moving from Puglia to Rome, where I did my training as a contemporary dancer, was already a lot.

When I made the decision to move to London, I couldn’t believe that I was jumping off the cliff and making a huge step. I need to move from Italy and get out of my comfort zone, so I said to myself now or never. 

I don’t regret anything that I have done, It was hard and tough dealing with a new language and new culture. I changed a lot from when I first came, and I allowed myself to be vulnerable in front of the change.


My dance has changed and my body became the secret place where I could be truly myself. My dance is and will always be my home.

Throughout my body, I could speak without a barrier of language. Being in space with people with different backgrounds is the most exciting part of this journey, everyone can say the same thing but from different points of view.

My dance journey is still going, and I don’t think I will stop anytime soon because there will always be something to learn in London, In the world…who knows.

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