Help Get Dana Dancing Again!
Donation protected
Raising £8000 to get Dana dancing again.
My best friend and creative business partner, Dana Hudson, is an actor and choreographer who has torn her Medial Meniscus in her right knee and her ACL. Dana is the Resident choreographer and Co-Founder of Ethereal Theatre Company. The Company has recently completed their third sellout production of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street” both in London and Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The production gained 4* /5* review, with nearly every review mentioning Dana’s choreography and Ensemble in the production.
The company has been commissioned for a fourth year and without Dana, the company could not proceed. Dana has been described by Acting company members as “The Heart and Soul” of Ethereal.
Dana is only 23, but her life has been put on hold till surgery is completed on her knee to get her leg to straighten again. The Meniscus has flipped over in what’s know as a ‘Bucket Handle’ tear and may have to be removed altogether via keyhole surgery. The ACL we have learned has been torn for over 2 years without her knowing and she has been getting on with her daily life not to mention choreographing and dancing non-stop which is quite a feat!
This requires quite a major surgery that requires 6 weeks of bed rest recovery and then 9 months of hydrotherapy, physiotherapy and treatment before she is able to be at her best again and even then the recovery time could take longer. Her ACL has completely disappeared and so in surgery they will be harvesting from her hamstring to make a new one, which will be supported by screws. To begin with though her ability to walk before anything else is absolutely crucial to her life and career. Right now Dana is walking with a heavy limp, unable to straighten her knee. It brings her pain to walk any distance and is relying on a crutch to get around, not to mention the emotional, mental and physical pain and stress such an operation will have on her throughout the next 9 months.
By going through the NHS, we have been told that surgery will not be possible for months if not years due to the waiting list. She injured herself back in August and has been struggling ever since. This injury severely impacts Dana’s life and ability to do everyday things, not to mention the additional wait time can cause the Meniscus to be grinding upon itself when Dana walks anywhere. This means they may have to remove the Meniscus entirely, leading to Arthritis developing quicker than the average person. As an actor, the scarring left from surgery can affect her casting which affects her ability to support herself financially. Even if Dana was to get an office job, the strain of commuting in right now is too much until the surgery is complete and she is well on her way to recovering. Depending on the swelling in her knee, the surgery may have to be completed in two parts, lengthening Dana’s recovery and time suffering. For these reasons we have opted to have the surgery done privately in order to decrease the wait time, try and save the Meniscus and give Dana the best chance she has of dancing again and being able to do what she loves.
Any support you would be able to give will be such a huge help
Get Dana dancing again, get Dana smiling again.
Thank you.
Marc X
My best friend and creative business partner, Dana Hudson, is an actor and choreographer who has torn her Medial Meniscus in her right knee and her ACL. Dana is the Resident choreographer and Co-Founder of Ethereal Theatre Company. The Company has recently completed their third sellout production of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street” both in London and Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The production gained 4* /5* review, with nearly every review mentioning Dana’s choreography and Ensemble in the production.
The company has been commissioned for a fourth year and without Dana, the company could not proceed. Dana has been described by Acting company members as “The Heart and Soul” of Ethereal.
Dana is only 23, but her life has been put on hold till surgery is completed on her knee to get her leg to straighten again. The Meniscus has flipped over in what’s know as a ‘Bucket Handle’ tear and may have to be removed altogether via keyhole surgery. The ACL we have learned has been torn for over 2 years without her knowing and she has been getting on with her daily life not to mention choreographing and dancing non-stop which is quite a feat!
This requires quite a major surgery that requires 6 weeks of bed rest recovery and then 9 months of hydrotherapy, physiotherapy and treatment before she is able to be at her best again and even then the recovery time could take longer. Her ACL has completely disappeared and so in surgery they will be harvesting from her hamstring to make a new one, which will be supported by screws. To begin with though her ability to walk before anything else is absolutely crucial to her life and career. Right now Dana is walking with a heavy limp, unable to straighten her knee. It brings her pain to walk any distance and is relying on a crutch to get around, not to mention the emotional, mental and physical pain and stress such an operation will have on her throughout the next 9 months.
By going through the NHS, we have been told that surgery will not be possible for months if not years due to the waiting list. She injured herself back in August and has been struggling ever since. This injury severely impacts Dana’s life and ability to do everyday things, not to mention the additional wait time can cause the Meniscus to be grinding upon itself when Dana walks anywhere. This means they may have to remove the Meniscus entirely, leading to Arthritis developing quicker than the average person. As an actor, the scarring left from surgery can affect her casting which affects her ability to support herself financially. Even if Dana was to get an office job, the strain of commuting in right now is too much until the surgery is complete and she is well on her way to recovering. Depending on the swelling in her knee, the surgery may have to be completed in two parts, lengthening Dana’s recovery and time suffering. For these reasons we have opted to have the surgery done privately in order to decrease the wait time, try and save the Meniscus and give Dana the best chance she has of dancing again and being able to do what she loves.
Any support you would be able to give will be such a huge help
Get Dana dancing again, get Dana smiling again.
Thank you.
Marc X
Organizer and beneficiary
Marc Zayat
Organizer
Dana Hudson
Beneficiary
