Pole dancer Caroline Hanson defies Multiple Sclerosis to compete

A young woman has defied a devastating diagnosis to continue her career as a professional pole dancer – even competing recently at a national showcase.

Sydneysider Caroline Hanson was devastated to learn she had Multiple Sclerosis in October 2017 but refused to let it end her love of the niche sport.

‘It brings me so much joy, the challenge, the athleticism, the fact that I get to do my workout,’ she told The Project on Sunday night, insisting her doctors were all for it.

‘They are encouraging. They say if it feels good go for it,’ she said.

Ms Hanson was training for Miss Pole Dance Australia in October, 2017, when the first seemingly innocuous sign of the autoimmune disease manifested.

‘It started with a little fuzzy spot in my eyes and then within 24/48 hours I lost 95 per cent of my vision in my left eyes,’ she said. 

‘By the time I got to the triage desk they were like ‘oh we see that you are here to be treated for MS’ and I have a massive meltdown in emergency. 

‘They were the words I didn’t want to hear.

‘It’s the same as going through grief. It was as if I had lost my whole life.’

Ms Hason spent three weeks in hospital and after returning home she decided not to give in to the disease.  

‘I really didn’t know what I was going to be capable of until I started moving and training,’ she told SBS in 2019. 

‘It was the motivation of having something in front of me to work towards, which really pushed me to get back to a level where I felt like I was at that professional level.’

‘Tomorrow I could wake up and have a relapse, so I just have to move everyday. I can’t wait for tomorrow because I just don’t know what is going to happen.’

Ms Hanson, who competed in the Pole Icon competition at Sydney’s Luna Park on Friday, admitted the exertion took its toll. 

‘I am exhausted all the time,’ she said.

‘People often see the highlights of my life but they don’t understand what goes on behind the scenes.’

Multiple Sclerosis causes the immune system to mistakenly attack the brain and spine’s protective coating — slowly shutting down the body’s communication systems.

Over time, the nervous system begins to break down. This causes a person to slowly lose motor function throughout their body.

Many patients will become partially or fully paralyzed after battling the disease over the course of many years.

Ms Hanson says she keep pole dancing as long as she can and teaching her art also gives a lot of satisfaction.

Ms Hanson spent three weeks in hospital after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2017

Despite her disease Ms Hanson has refused to give up pole dancing and recently competed in a national showcase

‘I love seeing all the women come in here and completely transform and come out of their shell and be happy and be confident,’ Ms Hanson said.

‘It doesn’t matter you age or size or anything like that she makes you feel OK, everything’s fine.’

She had a message of hope for those who shared her condition. 

‘To all the MS warriors out there you are amazing,’ she said.

‘Don’t give up on your dreams. It is not the end, it is the beginning. 

‘So follow up on your dreams, keep being amazing.’