DETROIT – An Oak Park High School senior learned how to do ballroom dances in her wheelchair for her prom after being diagnosed with a rare disorder that left her paralyzed.
Ewenique Wilson, 17, came down with a serious case of the flu a couple of months ago.
"My legs were shaky, and it wasn't until I got to the bathroom in the hospital that my left leg gave out," Wilson said.
It took a while to get the proper diagnosis.
"I've been to four hospitals and it wasn't until I got to the third hospital that they actually diagnosed me and told me what I had. They were like, 'it can't be Guillain-Barre because kids your age don't get it and it's so rare,' so they were testing me and when they told me it was the one thing it couldn't be, I was like, 'Oh are you serious?'" Wilson said.
Guillain-Barre syndrome is a rare disorder in which your body's immune system attacks your nerves. The first symptoms are weakness and tingling, but it can quickly spread and paralyze your whole body.
Wilson has had a lot of support from her family and friends.
"They'll come in [to visit her] like this happened, or have you heard this song or the weather outside is like this and stuff like that to keep me entertained," she said.
Wilson is very excited to go to her senior prom.
"It's gonna be Downtown Detroit on the Detroit Princess. I'm excited because I've never been on a boat, but I love water. I love swimming. I would go to the Detroit Riverwalk every chance I get before I got sick. I gotta go. It's like an accomplishment. It's one thing that's keeping me going," she said.
She already has her dress picked out.
"It's a two-piece dress. The top is off the shoulders. It's long-sleeve, but it's sheer and has roses so it looks like it's on your skin. It has a high-low bottom with a long train and it's burgundy," she said.
Professional dancers from the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Bloomfield Hills gave Wilson ballroom dance lessons at the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan in Detroit Wednesday. Wilson's good friend accompanied her on the dance floor as well.
Fred Astaire has more than 100 studios across the nation and partners with the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan to teach people how to wheelchair dance.
The instructors taught Wilson the rumba and she eventually stood on her own two feet which made her emotional.
"Life is a gift, especially when you've been so close to losing it. Everything is a blessing. I didn't really understand how much stuff I was taking for granted until I couldn't do it anymore," she said.
She has big plans for the summer.
"This summer I'm going everywhere. I'm going to the beach, parties. Of course, I'm going to work to save up for college, but I don't have to worry about school. I got two whole months to relax and chill," she said.
Her prom is on May 31 and the following month is her graduation.
Wilson has plans to go to Wayne County Community College for two years and hopes to transfer to Michigan State University afterward.