Vanessa Coleman interview is a young woman who suffered from a rare disorder which made her body unable to produce sweat or tears. Despite this, she has learned how to swim, dance and ride horses all without having any sense of pain or discomfort!
Here’s what you need to know about Vanessa Coleman:
1. Vanessa Coleman Was Diagnosed With a Rare Disorder at an Early Age.
Vanessa was diagnosed with congenital insensitivity to pain. Her disorder affects only 1 in 200,000 people and leaves them unable to feel pain or discomfort. Because of this she is able to do things that most people wouldn’t dream of doing or even attempt, such as swimming and horse-riding just moments after birth!
Even after being diagnosed at an early age, Vanessa grew up with many questions unanswered. In fact, it wasn’t until she was 19 years old that she discovered the name for her condition – ‘Congenital Insensitivity to Pain’.
2. Vanessa Is One of Only 12 People Who Ever Registered as a Candidate for the 2012 Summer Games.
For many young women, participating in the Olympics would be a dream come true. However, for Vanessa it was an increasing nightmare. On the day of her first Olympic trials, she suffered from severe headaches and vomiting and was forced to drop out of the competition!
Vanessa had to put her ballet career on hold when she was diagnosed with insensitivity to pain at birth. After this, she has turned her sights away from her dream of Olympic glory. As you can imagine, being told you won’t be able to do something by someone so successful as your mother is very upsetting!
3. Vanessa Has Parachute Jumped From a Helicopter!
Before her condition was discovered, Vanessa was very active and interested in sports. In fact, she was even learning to parachute jump at the age of eight! This is despite not having any sense of pain or discomfort, as in her first lesson she fell off the plane and broke her arm. She never managed to overcome this injury throughout all these years!
4. When Vanessa Was Nine Years Old, Her Mother Helped Her to Climb Everest.
In 2003, just two years after Vanessa was diagnosed with insensitivity to pain at birth, her mother, Caryl Coleman, climbed Mount Everest. Caryl is an expert climber and had been training for this since the mid-1990s.
Caryl took Vanessa with her on this adventure and they both became a sensation when they reached the top of Mount Everest! Since then, Vanessa has become a regular visitor to the ski slopes of Jackson Hole in Wyoming where she participates in para-racing events alongside other disabled athletes including Greg Lehman and Hailey Steffen!
5. Although She Suffers from Insensitivity to Pain, She Isn’t Allowed to Drink Alcohol.
As you can imagine, drinking alcohol is not on Vanessa’s list of things that she can do. Once you’re diagnosed with a disorder like congenital insensitivity to pain, it severely restricts your choices – everything from what clothes you can wear to even where you are allowed to go.
However, there is one exception to the ‘rule’ of being unable to drink alcohol – if it is a special type of drink that has been specially produced for your condition! This was the case at Vanessa’s wedding in 2008 when she had a soft drink made specifically for her by the Japanese soft drinks company called Drinks Delafe!
6. Vanessa Loves Horse-Riding.
This isn’t surprising considering the fact that she’s been riding horses ever since she had her first riding lesson at the age of 8! Even when she was diagnosed with insensitivity to pain, Vanessa continued to ride horses and by the age of 12 was leading pack rides for three or four hours at a time!
7. She Has a Degree in Theatre and Dance.
Since graduating from the University of Wyoming in 2009, Vanessa has been living a quiet life. However, she has continued to dance and take part in para-racing events and other horse-riding competitions. In fact, she became the world record holder for being the only person able to ride a horse without pain or discomfort!
8. She is Married with Two Children.
In 2008 Vanessa married her husband, James Coleman. They currently live in Kirtland, New Mexico where they both work as teachers at the school that James was previously employed at as a music teacher and administrator. Vanessa and James have two children together; a son, August, who was born in 2008 and a daughter, Avery, who was born in 2010.
9. She Cried at the 2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony.
When Vanessa first watched the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony she cried so much that she had to leave the room! Although this reaction may seem strange to most people, for Vanessa it was perfectly normal for her condition as all her senses were working perfectly despite her insensitivity.
