Hagen Hopkins
Former primary school teacher turned balloon twister Natalie Atkinson has a powerful plan in place to support her quest to be crowned champion of Blow Up. She declares, “I intend to blind
the other contestants with my colourful attire, then distract them with the chaos that will undoubtedly surround my station.”
Breaking into giggles, the Kāpiti Coast mum-of-three, 37, adds, “I don’t actually expect to win, but that’s OK because this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I just want to soak it all up for as long
as I possibly can.”
However, life isn’t always so bubbly in the Atkinson household. Last December, Natalie spent Christmas at Auckland’s Starship children’s hospital when her eight-year-old daughter Tessa was diagnosed with atypical haemolytic uremic syndrome, a rare disorder that attacks the kidneys.
“It started with a fever, then Tessa began to turn yellow, so I took her to the after-hours clinic,” recalls Natalie. “They quickly sent us to Wellington Hospital, which escalated to a life flight to Starship.”
Keeping Tessa’s spirits up in Starship.
To add to the stress, while Natalie and Tessa were in Auckland, Natalie’s husband Maurice was battling COVID, which meant he had to isolate at home while the wider family swooped down to look after the couple’s other children, Archie, six, and Mabel, three.
“But Tessa is now back to full health and, to celebrate, we’re preparing a second Christmas to reward her for being so brave – and to make up for the Christmas we missed,” Natalie smiles.
Tessa’s illness isn’t the only thing to test Natalie’s character. Soon after her eldest was born, the new mum was hit with postnatal depression.
“It came on really rapidly, like the bleakest blackness, but not because I didn’t feel a bond with Tessa – if anything, I felt a very intense bond and I obsessed over every little thing, like feeding and sleeping,” she remembers.
“Looking back, I believe it was partly because, as new mums, we’re so focused on giving birth that when we take the baby home, we worry about all the things that can go wrong.”
It took about nine months for the clouds to lift. “I found my joy as a mum at about the same time I looked into doing balloon twisting for Tessa’s first birthday party and, in discovering balloons, my
sense of self was enhanced.”
Fortunately, the postnatal depression didn’t return after the births of Archie and Mabel, with Natalie crediting her husband and childhood sweetheart Maurice for helping her through.
Bursting with joy! Natalie and Maurice with kids Tessa, Mabel and Archie.
“He was incredible during those dark times. Maurice is such a calming, soothing presence. He’s not boring, but he really balances me and we have such fun together.”
Natalie was also recently diagnosed with ADHD and is keen to share her story in the hope it may help others. She says, “It’s ironic that I was a teacher for several years and it never occurred to me that
I might have ADHD.”
But she notes that the disorder can express itself in lots of different ways, particularly in women and girls. “One reason I never suspected I had it was because I didn’t have that stereotypical hyperactivity. I was actually extremely well-behaved at school, although I’ve always struggled with being on time and creating an organised space.
“For me, it’s more about my ability to function in everyday life. I’ve also always felt I have a very fast, creative brain – some might call it messy! – which is why I’m so grateful to balloon twisting as it gives me an outlet for that type of creativity.”
Every angel needs wings!
Clearly, Natalie is the sort of person who can find positives in even the most challenging circumstances, which is another reason being on Blow Up suits her so well.
“Of course, we’re competing against each other, but I was competing with myself, trying to do my best work and wanting the others to do their best work because everyone on Blow Up was so supportive,” tells Natalie, adding that she creates structures and routines to stay grounded and manage her ADHD.
“I break things down into small parts and I set enough time to do each task. But the best thing is, I’m kinder to myself now I know that I have it. It’s helped hugely to know I’ve not got some sort of flaw – it’s just that my brain works differently.”
Tapping into that positivity, she continues, “Through the whole experience of postnatal depression, then finding balloon twisting, then coming out of that to discover I have ADHD and having Tessa be
ill, what I’ve learned along the way is that sometimes it’s the biggest challenges that bring us the greatest gifts.”
Blow Up screens 7.30pm Mondays and Tuesdays on Three.
