In May 2006, while in the midst of preparing the company for our looming August performance in Toronto, I went in for my first mammogram. At age 36 and a high risk candidate for pre-menopausal breast cancer (runs in my family), I was only going in to quell any fears of "what if". Well, it didn't take long to freak me out... the mammogram found 4 rather large fibroid pre-cancerous cysts in both my breasts. Without hesitation, I decided to get them removed and met with a doctor who specializes in breast cancer and preventative care at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and I set my date for surgery. On June 20th I went in for surgery to get the suspicious fibroendenoma's removed from my body, 3 hours later woke up, was put on Vicodin and sent home.

The clincher... they not only found 4 fibroid cysts, but 14 of the little suckers. Ew. They were sent to the lab to see exactly what kind of cells they were: pre-cancerous, benign or malignant. I should hear from the doctor this week to find out what I am dealing with and we'll go from there. I am so relieved to have these things removed and know that I made the right decision. I truly believe that the body has remarkable healing powers and even in the past 2 weeks (post-operation), I have seen this magic take place in the past 2 weeks as my body recovers, adapts, and gets back into dancing to get ready to perform my little heart out in another country in August.