Please help Lemington beat Lymphoma again

Lemington Ridley is an amazing person, professional dancer & creative designer.

Thank you so much in advance for supporting this fundraiser. Any amount will help. 100% of the funds will go to help Lemington during these difficult times stay focused

on his health, being able to pay rent (since he can't work), and buying healthy food and medications while undergoing treatment.

The Journey:

I met Lemington in 1998 when we both taught at Arthur Murray Dance Studio in NYC. Lemington had already a lot of experience in all types of Latin & Ballroom dancing. We reconnected again in 2006 and danced together many different styles of show numbers. We loved embracing different styles of dancing while Lemington created beautiful dresses and outfits that were unique, and iconic and help me shape my style and elevate my performances (see photos below).

After moving to London to pursue his dance career as well as love, he found both things to be rewarding for a time. However, when his marriage devastatingly dissolved, he had to recreate himself and start again.

Lemington became a well-respected dance teacher and performance coach due to his open and expressive dance style and his hands-on and caring approach to teaching. His one-on-one methods, as well as his 20-year experience in handmade couture garments, also helped to make him a sought-after costume designer.

In April 2019 after a year of silent health struggles, Lemington went to the hospital after a fall in his home. He was then diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma. Being in such a bad state he was given the choice by doctors to let him go, or save his life. He chose to let the doctors try to save him, and they did. After receiving the strongest chemotherapy available and a host of tests and scans, catheters and more, he woke up on Easter Sunday.

The London team of doctors and nurses were amazing in their care for him and brought him back to life. Lemington had the support of close friends as well as the whole ballroom dance community and was finally allowed to go home and continue his recovery. With a box full of medication and protein milkshakes, he returned home.

After months of working hard to rebuild his body, having lost close to 40 pounds, the COVID pandemic lockdown started. He survived the first lockdown, but when the second lockdown was announced, he knew it was time to return to New York. Upon returning to NYC Lemington tried to re-establish connections with people for friendship and work. He started looking for a full-time job and healthcare. Unfortunately, all of these aspects were so difficult to get sorted, and in combination with the emotional ramifications of having had cancer, he spiraled into a deep depression.

His health started to fail again, and realizing that the full-time job he sought that would provide insurance, wasn't so easy to find, he has struggled to resurface. Now, after a year of back and forth, red tape, uncaring health care workers, etc., he has found the right care, only to be told that in that year his liver has totally been destroyed and is in the worst stage, and he is severely anemic which causes him to be fatigued constantly, have blackouts that can last 3 days. His once beautiful dancer legs and feet have severe lymphoedema, and constantly swell and cause so much pain. That he must stay laying down or can only walk around or work for short periods.

The most recent news is that the previous cancer has returned. So again he needs to go through biopsies and tests and scans and all that he must do to tackle the reoccurrence of the Lymphoma. This has stopped his world completely, and being one of the most gifted creative persons it is a huge blow to his life not to be able to function as he has in the past.

To Lemington, the physical issues are easier than the emotional issues after losing everything and trying to rebuild and not being able to. Not being able to work, pay rent, buy healthy food, or have a good quality of life due to not being able to give and create and be there to make beautiful things for others, really hurts his soul.

He is on a new journey to deal with this illness and resurface stronger. Asking for help is hard for him, but it is so needed at this moment. He hopes that his story will help to encourage others and shed light on the many creatives that get struck down by illness and find it difficult to bring it all back together. Golden hands and a golden heart that is hurting at the moment but can still see a light in the distance.