One Shoulder Down Without a Safety Net

Help Bekki Get Back in the Air (With Two Working Shoulders!)

Hi, I’m Bekki a professional trapeze artist, but if you’ve found this page chances are you already knew that. Normally you’d find me flying through the air with a big grin and two functioning shoulders… but right now, I’m grounded.

I’ve got a serious injury in my left shoulder that needs surgery ASAP. Unfortunately, I’ve been told the NHS waiting list for my operation is extremely long, the earliest offer for an initial phone call with MSK team I was referred to was five and a half months later. Apparently two labral tears, a torn tendon, a stress fracture and a shoulder that dislocates multiple times per day is not considered urgent, perhaps because I am otherwise considered young (lol), fit and healthy.

The good news? If I can raise the funds (£10,142 in total!!), I could get the surgery as early as Tuesday. Yep, this Tuesday. After the surgery I will need just three months recovery time before I can fly again.

Asking for help is something I’m really not good at (honestly, I’d rather flip around in a sparkly bikini in front of thousands of people than write this). But here we are.

In a world where artists are often expected to just “push through the pain,” real injuries can be swept under the rug until it’s too late. Which is unfortunately, exactly what has happened to me.

Being self-employed and working across different countries means I fall through the cracks when it comes to most government funding and support. It’s a tough position to be in, especially when your job depends on your body working properly. But I am doing everything I can possibly think of to gain access to the treatment I need.

Trapeze is my life. It’s more than just work, it’s my identity, my joy, my everything. And right now, I’m hanging by a thread (metaphorically… because the literal hanging is on pause).

If you might be able to help, even a little I’d be incredibly grateful, and I will of course try my best to pay it back, or forward (whatever you decide).

Every donation will help get me closer to the surgery I need so I can return to the ceiling where I belong.

Thank you for taking the time to read ❤️

Bekki ✨