Where and how do you live today?

I live in Brazil in the city of São Paulo with my parents. I work with dance, I live from dancing, I have a salary.

How did you benefit from the Brazilian OI community?

When I was a child, my parents participated in ABOI (Brazilian Association of Osteogenesis Imperfecta) meetings and there they had a support network, information about the disability, which was so little known at the time. These meetings helped us to have a more comfortable and less painful life

What is a typical workday like for you as an artist, and do you think it is different from artists without disabilities?

My life as an artist is not as easy as any other. I wake up early, take the train/subway, go to the rehearsal, 2 hours away from my house. Sometimes I feel pain, tiredness, but it’s a feeling of pleasure, because I do what I love. In other words, it’s not easy for anyone.

Did OI influence your decision to become an artist and how does OI influence your artwork?

It didn’t influence my pursuit of art, but it does influence being a person with a disability. I have always loved dancing. As a child, I would just lie down and move my head from side to side. I am an agitated, restless person. When my fractures stabilized, I started dancing. At first, I thought no wheelchair user could dance. And today I know that everyone can do it, just have a body and will.

What are you proud of?

I’m proud of my story. I’m proud of my family. I’m proud of who I am. I pride myself on my art. I’m proud of my parents.

You have had scary moments in your life. Would you share them with our readers?

I had two scary moments. One was from the car accident I had in 1998, in Recife. I suffered a head injury. I needed surgery to remove the clot. A risky surgery, especially for those with OI.  And another moment was when I had heart surgery last year. I had a plasty (mitral valve correction).  A very risky surgery because it is OI. The surgery was successful, but I had post-surgery vasoplegia. My lung wasn’t working properly. I was intubated twice and then tracheostomized. I was hospitalized for 3 months. That was the most difficult moment of my life.

What was one of the happiest moments in your life?

One of the happiest moments of my life was returning to my home after three months of hospitalization, in 2023.

If any of our readers want to try their hand at art – what should they do?

To believe that they can!

This article has first been published in OIFE Magazine 1-2025