So You Think You CANcer Dance

I just finished watching the finale of So You Think You Can Dance! I am a bona fide sucker for that show. I LOVE IT! It gets me all jazzed up. I only left my house once today, and the rest of the time I sat on my butt being mindful not to move, keeping my leg elevated as much as possible. (Praying that if I just don’t move it, it will heal by itself and the nice little screws will find their way back home--go screws, go!) But now I have a little jig in my bum.

When I first found out I had cancer I was told that after surgery I’d never be able to bend or straighten my leg again (why are doctors such downers all the time?). The doctors estimated I would only regain 90-110 degrees of rotation, when full rotation is 135*. Obviously I was devastated by this news; yoga and dancing are an important part of my life. My friend M and I used to make up dances together in high school and when we learned that my leg was going to be cut open from knee to hip we agreed to form a different type of dance group—the Cancer Dancers. That’s right I’m proud to be a Cancer Dancer, a CANDANCER!

I’ve learned that even if I can’t flip and twist like the limber little fireballs on SYTYCD, I can still get my groove on. For instance, while sitting on the couch I can crump from the waist up—watch out! And if you thought my my robot was good before I was on crutches, well you should see how the long metal extensions under my arms add to the effect! And while balancing on just my crutches I can achieve some awesome leg kicks—and the air suspension is unbeatable. Boo ya. Candancers unite!

* A month ago my PT measured my bending at 135! Full rotation. Woohoo!