Australia’s ‘first nude yoga teacher’ and her partner have been dealt a crippling blow and forced to put their baby plans on hold after publicly documenting their journey to motherhood.
Rosie Rees, who also founded Yoni Pleasure Palace, and her partner Ash MacDonald have been transparent about their desire to start a family on social media.
In February, just two weeks after Ashleigh got down on bended knee and proposed, she woke one morning with severe hip pain which gradually progressed into numbness.
The professional dancer and choreographer never could have guessed she was suffering from multiple sclerosis.
‘I first had numb tingling feet and a pain in my hip. We thought it was just a pinched nerve,’ Ashleigh said.
Ash MacDonald proposed to Rosie Rees (pictured together with Ash’s daughter from a past relationship) two weeks after her 30th birthday
Rosie Rees (pictured), who also founded Yoni Pleasure Palace, and her partner Ash MacDonald have been transparent about their desire to start a family on social media
Two weeks after first developing symptoms the pain got so bad Rosie rushed her new fiancee to hospital and by the time they arrived she couldn’t walk to the door; her whole leg was paralysed
‘It got so bad we went to the doctor. They were clueless but told us to go to the emergency if the pain got worse.’
Two weeks later the pain got so bad Rosie rushed her new fiancee to hospital and by the time they arrived she couldn’t walk to the door; her whole leg was paralysed.
‘I still thought it was just a pinched nerve, but I was in so much agony I couldn’t think,’ Ashleigh said.
An MRI revealed a lesion on her spinal cord causing the numbness, which very quickly became paralysis in both legs.
‘They suggested it could be MS. We were both really shocked. At that point we knew it was serious… Nothing really hit me until they did the lumbar puncture, and they were explaining the side effects,’ Ashleigh said.
Rosie, however, was not so composed and saw their life together flash before her in a way she could never have imagined.
The professional dancer and choreographer never could have guessed she was suffering from multiple sclerosis
Rosie and Ash were hoping for a ‘blonde haired, blue eyed’ baby within the next two years (pictured with Ash’s daughter from a separate marriage)
Ashleigh was taken to neurology and put on steroids and a plasma exchange process. She was diagnosed with transverse myelitis
‘I was the emotional one. I couldn’t stop crying. I was really scared and knew there was a risk she could be paralysed for ever and in a wheelchair,’ Rosie said.
Ashleigh was taken to neurology and put on steroids and a plasma exchange process. She was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a neurological disorder which damages nerve cell fibres along the spinal cord and interrupts messages that the spinal cord nerves send throughout the body.
The lumbar puncture later revealed Ashleigh had multiple sclerosis, which can cause transverse myelitis.
She spent three weeks in hospital and then opted for rehabilitation at home.
‘It was challenging (coming home). Every time I went to do something new, I realised it wasn’t easy and took twice as long, but I just have to keep going,’ Ashleigh said.
‘I won’t know how far it has progressed until I have a follow up, but I am grateful I have treatment options and support, but it is also a bit unknown and scary not knowing what our life will look like going forward.’
While the impact on their lives has been profound, Rosie made it clear the pair remain deeply in love
In December 2020, the couple revealed their plans to have a ‘blonde haired, blue eyed’ baby within the next two years to look like Ash’s daughter from a previous relationship
The couple have been forced to put their pregnancy dreams on hold
Rosie said while it has ‘thrown a spanner in the works’ and their baby and wedding dreams are on hold to focus on Ashleigh’s recovery, their goal to empower others through their social media remains the same.
In December 2020, the couple revealed their plans to have a ‘blonde haired, blue eyed’ baby within the next two years.
The couple, who had both previously been in heterosexual relationships, have been together for three years and after Ash’s marriage ended, fell very quickly deeply in love.
‘We are dedicated to documenting our life journey. I would like to be a role model not just for same sex couples but also same sex couples with disabilities. It is not represented in our society much.
‘People are messaging us saying how brave we are to share it, but to us it is not brave. Why would we hide it, Ash can still live an enjoyable, thriving life,’ Rosie said.
Rosie has 76,000 followers on her Instagram page, and they have started another page specifically to share their baby making journey called ‘Two Mum Tribe’
For now, they are focusing on Ashleigh’s rehabilitation and learning about the daily struggles faced by people with a disability
While the impact on their lives has been profound, Rosie made it clear the pair remain deeply in love.
‘It was a massive shock and challenge to become the carer and I over did it and Ash had to sit me down and remind me I was also her lover.
‘I miss walking holding hands or hearing Ash’s footsteps in the house. It is scary to wonder if my partner will be able to walk down the aisle or dance at our wedding. But when you love someone as much as I do, you do put it aside and take it day by day.’
The couple, who had also shared very intimate moments on Facebook, said Ashleigh’s condition had also impacted their sex life for a while, but they are grateful she is still able to move her hips and upper body and achieve orgasm, which some people with multiple sclerosis can’t.
For now, they are focusing on Ashleigh’s rehabilitation and learning about the daily struggles faced by people with a disability.
Rosie quit her corporate job in finance four years ago to start her own nude yoga practice, which specialises in helping groups of up to 30 women of all shapes and sizes to embrace their bodies.
An MRI revealed a lesion on her spinal cord causing the numbness, which very quickly became paralysis in both legs