Scarlett Wright is a four-year-old girl with big dreams. After her parents took her to a museum, where she saw the wax figure of a ballerina and a celebrity dance show judge, Darcey Bussell, Scarlett has become obsessed with the idea of becoming a dancer as well.
The catch — she doesn’t have any toes and already needs specially fitted shoes to allow her to walk.
When Scarlett was born, doctors diagnosed her with Adams-Oliver Syndrome, a condition that meant the bones in her feet had never properly fused. Her feet and hands – Scarlett is also missing one finger on her right hand – will never develop properly, even as she gets older.
Scarlett has since been fitted with special shoes that are molded to fit her feet and will help her walk around independently.
In order for Scarlett to better learn how to dance, she will need to be fitted with yet another set of shoes, ones that are made specifically for dance.
But because Scarlett was so enthusiastic and passionate about learning to dance, her parents have already gone through the effort of finding a local class that will take the time to cater to Scarlett’s condition.
A couple classes turned Scarlett down because they feared the moves would be too complex for her, but once the Wrights found a class that would take Scarlett in, it’s been smooth sailing since.
Everyone loves Scarlett and wants nothing more than to support her dreams of becoming a dancer, but her parents fear they won’t be able to.
Mother, Kershwin Barlow, always sees how Scarlett is “really struggling with a lot of things but she just gets on with it even though she’s in agony with her feet by the end of the day.
“As a mother, it’s difficult to watch. No-one [sic] wants their child to have a disability, but it makes it easier because she’s so positive.”
The family is currently trying to raise money to buy Scarlett better dance shoes, and Kerswhin has mentioned, “It's [Scarlett’s] birthday on Monday and it would be incredible if she could have the dance shoes by then.”
You can see the aspiring young dancer for yourself here:
