Cancer is an
unwelcomed visitor, a thief in the night if you will. It often robs people of
their dreams and ambition. It rips through lives like a devastating tornado
making the road to recovery long and hard, if recover is possible at all. Yet,
there is a force out there that can rival cancer. An entity that helps empower
the body and mind to fight back and confront the challenges of cancer head-on.
However, like any war, there are never any real winners, only survivors – those
who are fortunate enough to have the inner strength, health and luck to walk
away from the battlefield and enjoy the dance of another day.
Country-Line dance
instructor Denise Hebert came face to face with her own personal tornado and
has been on the mend since 2012. Come learn of her battle with a cancerous tumor
and how she refused to let the aftermath of it put a permanent halt on her
passion for dance.
For 17 years Ms.
Hebert, under the name of D&D Line Dancers, taught a group of enthusiasts the
complicated footwork of country line dancing. Her group grew and gained celebrity
by performing in parades and local festivals in Twin Cities. They even visited
nursing homes during the winter months to perform their Christmas program for
residents and staff members. The D&D Line Dancers loved giving back to the
community and the community loved their performances. All was perfect in Ms.
Hebert’s world. Dancing had helped fill the void that was created when her
children embarked into military life. Teaching her group gave her a sense of purpose and eased her empty nest syndrome.
However, that
was all about to come to a screeching halt. During one of her regular swim
sessions, Ms. Hebert badly injured her right arm. She said she still remembers
the sound that her muscle made as it tore from her shoulder bone. She
lived in agony for a few months in hopes the pain would subside but it refused
to cease, forcing her to seek medical assistance.
An X-ray
revealed that her glenoid bone had completely disintegrated due to a rare tumor
that attached to her scapula and spread to her collar bone consuming the bones along the way. Her doctors then referred her to Eastern Maine
Medical Center in Bangor to seek additional advice. Ms. Hebert said that after
countless tests, scans and a biopsy, the results were still inconclusive.
During this trying time she turned to her family and dancing group to help her
keep a positive mindset.
And it was a
positive mindset that she brought with her when her team of doctors, led by Dr. Ian Dickey, suggested a
surgery that could allow her the opportunity to save a part of her arm by
removing the infected bone and inserting a titanium bar in its place. The bar
would act as a humorous bone and would connect her collar bone to her elbow. If
all was successful, her surgery would render her upper arm immobile, yet there
was a strong possibility that she would retain use of her wrist and hand (P.S. Ms. Hebert is right handed.)
“I don’t need
an arm to dance,” she said jokingly. And with that enthusiasm, she decided to
go ahead with the surgery. There were many stages to the surgery and each step
brought along with it a myriad of concerns and promises of hope.
In the end, the
doctors successfully removed the tumor which they classified as an osteosarcoma.
According to their records it currently holds the record for being the largest
recorded case of osteosarcoma in the state of Maine.
The road to
recovery was long and involved constant assistance from her daughter, mother and sister in order to help Ms.
Hebert become increasingly independent. She was eager to heal and
return back to her beloved dancing community, but first she had to learn how to relearn simple tasks like getting dressed, putting on socks with her left hand and peeling a potato for starters. Most take the ability of doing these tasks for granted, but every small feat she achieved was a monumental step forth. On December 5, 2012, two weeks
after her last surgery, she returned to her doctor for a post-surgical
follow-up in which most of the 94 staples were removed. She asked the doctor
when he thought she could start dancing again. He said immediately.
She started
dancing the next day and has not stopped to look back since. Despite her battle
and the loss of 95 percent of her arm use, she continues to push herself every
day while continuing to bring new dance routines to her group. Her spirit
remains high and her friends say it would be a challenge to find her without a
smile.
"I cannot express enough my heart-felt appreciation and thank you to my family and a treasure of friends for their support, love and prayers," she said. "Never doubt the power of prayer!" She also said she is relearning her skills little by little with her left hand and has learned the importance of asking for help.
Ms. Hebert
continues to hold dance sessions every Wednesday with the D&D Line Dancers.
Sessions run from 6:30 – 8pm and are held in the gorgeous Central Hall, three
stories above Lisbon Street in Lewiston, overlooking the Bates Mill. Their next performance will be on August 15 at the D'Youville Pavilion for its Country Fair Hoe Down.
For more information on their dance group please contact DNA Photography.
For more information on their dance group please contact DNA Photography.