Dana was my sister and my best friend. We grew up in a close family where education and fine arts were encouraged. Dana began dance training when she was little and it became one of her lifelong passions. Family was her second passion. Our family, Mike's family and the one they made together with their sons Patrick and Andrew. Dana loved to gather the family to celebrate every occasion where she would create elaborate cakes or clever center pieces. She was a marvelous mother who encouraged her sons to excel, and they did. Track meets, plays, sporting events - she was there for the boys every time; and for my girls. Dana's thoughtfulness and generous spirit made her a special aunt and a treasured friend. The love Dana and Mike shared was rare and beautiful. Their devotion to each other and to their families enriched all of us.
We had plans, Dana and I. We were going to open a little store together half floral shop and half pottery shop. She was looking forward to watching her granddaughter, Tessa, grow up. But Ovarian Cancer cut short her dreams. She had the symptoms for nearly a year before she was diagnosed. We talked about them as girls do. She was even seeing a doctor, but none of us knew the symptoms or the need for immediate action if those symptoms persist for more than three weeks. Early detection of Ovarian Cancer can result in about a 95% chance of recovery. Dana might have had a chance.
As it was, she had Stage IV Ovarian Cancer when she was diagnosed. Although about one in every 69 women gets the disease, it is very common for it to be detected too late. Why? The symptoms are similar to many common ailments and are often overlooked or misdiagnosed. Proper screening is something that must be demanded. We must take charge of our own health.
When she was dying, Dana worried a lot about Mike and how he would handle life after she was gone. He was inconsolable for months until she came to him in a dream on February 1 and he watched in amazement as she did a grand jete among sparkling green stars. He was already energized by the dream when I arrived later that day with the porcelain urn I had created. When he read the inscription, "I'm waiting for you, dancing in the stars," he knew that he must go forward and educate people everywhere about Ovarian Cancer.
Mike chose to recreate a birthday gift he had crafted for Dana back in 1984, an elegant trio of dancers posed in a butterfly frame, as the new symbol of hope for Ovarian Cancer. The Pas de Trois (Dance for Three) Butterfly Ballet Pendant is now the centerpiece of Mike's company, Butterfly Ballet, established in memory of Dana. The pendant will help raise Ovarian Cancer awareness and funding for research as well as fostering the love of dance.
My sister is still dancing in the hearts of everyone who knew her and now she dances for all women. She made me promise never to take for granted the subtle symptoms and now I ask that same promise of all women. On one of our last adventures together as we drove my daughter to a dance camp we came upon a billboard that read: "Ovarian Cancer ... It Whispers ... Listen." We're listening, Dana.
