Watch the woman who lost her legs to frostbite and now teaching acrobatics
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After losing both her lower legs to frostbite in 2014, an acrobat is teaching others to fly in her own circus school.
39-year-old Erin Ball lost in the woods near her home in Kingston, Ontario. She was found by a police dog six days later.
Doctors had to amputate her damaged feet and part of her lower legs.
Erin told Barcroft TV about the life-changing incident: “It was the end of the road when I went into the woods, I was completely lost.
I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, I sat down and didn’t know what to do.”
“When I went to get up, I couldn’t feel my feet, they had gotten really wet because I had walked through the snow. I started to panic and scream for help, obviously, nobody came, I don’t remember anything after that.”
Erin had spent years as a circus arts performer before losing her legs. However, after the surgery, Erin isolated herself and struggled with depression.
She wanted to return to the circus but didn’t know if it was possible. She said: “It felt like my circus career was over. I didn’t know anybody who was in the disabled community.”
“All I knew about disability and using wheelchairs was that it was bad. I feel that was the message that was put out in a lot of society.”
Erin started physiotherapy to learn to walk again. She has now started her own circus school for mixed-ability people and teaching them acrobatics.
She said: “I started learning circus about 11 years ago and I just loved it. I discovered aerial arts and was just completely hooked. When I perform in front of people, I feel excited, nervous and like it’s where I should be.”
“Acrobatics plays a huge role, if I am not doing it or teaching it, I’m thinking about it.”