A Dancer's Breast Cancer Battle
- Olivia Hutcherson was living her dream in New York as a professional dancer, performing with artists like Madonna and Jennifer Lopez when she received a devastating diagnosis.
- Shortly after her 26th birthday, she found out she had breast cancer and underwent chemotherapy and a double mastectomy.
- The cancer returned a few years later and had spread to her bones and lymph nodes.
- While the cancer is not curable, Hutcherson’s doctor says that with chemotherapy and immunotherapy, she is doing well and is still able to teach dance to kids.
A mammogram and other tests revealed she had ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a form of breast cancer, in 87 per cent of her left breast. She also had an invasive tumor in her right breast.
Read MoreA Life Changing Moment
That day in 2015 was a pivotal moment. Until then, Hutcherson was living what seemed like a dream life. As a professional dancer, she had performed with some of the world's biggest stars, with a resume that included time on stage with Madonna and Jennifer Lopez.But while she had battled to the top of a demanding and competitive profession, now a new battle was starting. She underwent a double mastectomy and four rounds of chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy for breast cancer uses strong drugs to kill cancer all over the body. It's possible that patients get this treatment to shrink a tumor before surgery, afterward to get rid of any remaining cancer cells or on its own if the patient cannot have surgery.
After the treatment was over, she went to New Jersey to recover surrounded by family. She was monitored and treated with anti-estrogen therapy as a preventative measure. Life was good and Hutcherson was being creative: she published a book of poetry about her cancer journey in 2019.
"For four years, I was completely in the clear," she said. "I felt pretty good, and I was working and dancing and teaching."
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A Heartbreaking Setback
Then she felt a lump in her armpit and immediately thought "Oh no. Not again."
The news this time was even worse: the diagnosis came back as stage 4 breast cancer that had spread to her bones and lymph nodes.
Her doctor, Stanley Waintraub chief of breast oncology at John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center, said the cancer was not curable, but its spread could be slowed through treatment. She underwent chemotherapy and 20 rounds of radiation therapy aimed at the tumors on her bones.
Still Battling, Still Dancing
While Hutcherson is not cancer free, she is still battling. Waintraub said she is going through chemotherapy and immunotherapy and is "doing very well."
For her part, Hutcherson is still active. She's teaching dance to kids and still dancing herself.
"We do everything we can to maintain Olivia's dancing career while dealing with her cancer," said Waintraub. "It is impossible to not be impressed with this young lady. She is a 32-year-old hero who has stage four cancer and does not say, 'Why me?' She doesn't let cancer stop her."
Dance has kept her going, but she has had so many other things that inspire her to keep going.
"You don’t need to fight alone," she said. "The four biggest things that keep me going are my family, my faith, my friends and the dance floor. It’s so important to have support and also to have your passion because you need a reason to get up in the morning and to just keep moving forward and keep going."
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