Teaching dance is the most natural thing in the world for Rochelle Gartner.
But last May, teaching got a lot tougher when Gartner was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Gartner said she didn’t have any symptoms until a scary incident a few months earlier.
“I was driving to church on Good Friday and I had a seizure,” she said. “I still didn’t believe that this is happening.”
Gartner has had surgery and is going through radiation and chemotherapy.
She said all the treatment is impacting how much she can teach at her studio, Dance With France.
“There’s a lot of dizziness and strange eye movements,” Gartner said. “I have to take it easy with the dance teaching.”
While Gartner continues to be involved in the studio when she can, a tough decision is weighing on her mind.
She’s been told that she will most likely need another surgery but it comes with a life-changing risk.
Until then, she said her only option is to stay positive for both herself and her students.
“I live life to the fullest because we never know when our last day is on earth,” Gartner said.
Raising awareness
Gartner is using her love of dance to raise awareness about how deadly the cancer is.
She’s holding a dance competition with proceeds going to glioblastoma research.
READ MORE: Here’s what you need to know about Glioblastoma, the brain cancer that took Gord Downie’s life
Rochelle said the support from the dance community has been so overwhelming that she’s added a second show for the competition because the first show sold out.