Meet Audrey Nethery, an amazing little girl who is raising awareness of her rare condition online through truly epic Zumba performances. Little Audrey, who is only six years old, suffers from Diamond Blackman Anaemia. This condition means Audrey’s body does not produce enough red blood cells and can be life-threatening. This brave girl has already had 20 blood transfusions to keep her alive.
All this treatment would be tough for anyone, but Audrey seems to take it all in her stride. She has become a star wiggling her hips and strutting her stuff on YouTube with lots of fun, high-energy Zumba performances. One video of her recorded at her Zumba class has already received 3 million views and helped raise much-needed funds for the Diamond Blackfan Anemia Foundation.
As well as the anaemia, Audrey was also born with a hole in her heart and a cleft palate. She also isn’t growing as fast as other children her age, partly due to the medication she needs to take. In spite of all these challenges, Audrey is still a happy little girl and bursting with as much energy as any other child her age. Dad Scott explains: “Audrey is a happy, loving, smart little girl who loves to dance, listen to music, and collect dolls and stuffed animals. She is incredibly strong and leaves an impression on everyone she meets!”
It was a great decision Audrey’s parents Scott and Julie, made when they decided to put videos of her dancing online. Not only has Audrey raised more than 100,000 dollars for the foundation, but she has also raised awareness and brought joy to the lives of complete strangers all around the world. In these dark days of covid, that is a rare gift.
There are lots of stand-out performances on Audrey’s channel, with Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk being a real favourite. If you haven’t met wonderful little lady Audrey yet, check out this performance set to Baby by Justin Bieber. Audrey’s energy, enthusiasm and joy are infectious, and you want to jump through the screen and dance with her. I doubt many of us could manage all the dance moves so well, though. Check it out now and join the legions of fans that have fallen under Audrey’s spell.