04/19/2026
April 17, 2018. I didn’t know that the Nampa State of the City address for (then) Mayor Debbie Kling would be the last time I would perform. It was a great night. So much joy. The very next morning, I would host an outreach at The College Of Idaho, where I worked as the Education Director for Caldwell Fine Arts. I would teach a dance that I’ve done @ least 1000 times. I would partner with a football player and I would hold his arm. He would turn to the left, and I would turn to my right. And the entire room would hear a massive *POP*. Immediately I fall, and he would catch me, and my life as I knew it up until that very minute was over forever. I would try to stand on 2 feet but I can’t, and I sink to the floor. I would be rushed to a doctor‘s office where they couldn’t help me. I go into shock from the pain. Eventually, I am taken to a hospital in Caldwell, where I have an x-ray and an MRI and it’s confirmed that I completely tore my right Achilles tendon. By the time I get home I am in excruciating pain and yet I still don’t comprehend the severity of my accident. I don’t have surgery. I don’t go to PT. Instead, my foot and my leg are in a full cast, and I immediately have to learn how to fend for myself. I cannot stand. I cannot walk. I cannot drive. I can’t even take a shower. As a mother, I don’t understand how I’m going to care for my children. As a dancer, I don’t understand how I’m going to continue doing what I love. I fall into a deep depression, and I have to learn to rely on myself. Crawling becomes my norm. Healing physically/ mentally/ and emotionally takes everything out of me. I honor my commitment to my dancers and my family to still perform in Seattle. Cinco de Mayo 2018 was definitely one for the books. I agree that I will perform again for La Virgen de Guadalupe. And I did. Healing didn’t look like what I had imagined. Fast forward to April 18, 2025. My life is SO DIFFERENT. I perform at Disneyland with my dancers! I am able bodied- just not like before. But I’M HERE. And I’m still healing. Emotionally, mentally, and physically. And I am so grateful for that. ❤️🩹