J Bee: Once a dancer, always a dancer

J Bee started dancing when she was 2 ½ years old. Her journey and identity as a dancer were impacted by her diagnosis of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. She explains, “I suffered deformities in my hands, and my hip joint disintegrated and resulted in a joint replacement surgery at the age of 26.” Because of her diagnosis, she was not able to dance at the level she imagined she would as a child.

J Bee’s tattoo means “dancer” in Polish and is on the inside of her wrist where she can regularly see it. She says she chose her right wrist, “because [she has] a deformity of [her] wrist and wanted to beautify that area.” J Bee says her tattoo has helped her reclaim her identity as a dancer and it reminds her that, “despite [her] body betraying [her] at an early age, [she] can still dance.” It is written in Polish to honour her heritage and her mother, who always encouraged her to keep dancing.

In addition to this tattoo, J Bee has three others “that also serve to mark [her] body where [she has] joint deformities due to [her] illness.” She finds that the tattoos help her take ownership of her body. J Bee shares that having a chronic illness has impacted her ability to feel “normal” and that she has “never really felt attractive.” However, when she is dancing, she feels “beautiful, powerful, [and] at peace.” When she is having a particularly hard time, her tattoo is a reminder of how far she has come and what she is capable of achieving.