Returning to dance after tragedy: Adrianne Haslet-Davis

The Boston Marathon bombings shook the world a year ago, but it is hard to imagine the emotional and physical pain that the victims have had to endure.

One such victim is Adrianne Haslet-Davis. She and her husband were just steps away from one of the bombs during the Boston Marathon.

Prior to the event, Haslet-Davis was an award winning ballroom dancer and her husband had just returned from a tour in Afghanistan.

The intensity of the bomb blew off her left foot and rendered her an amputee.

For months, the loss of her foot was agonizing. The initial realization that her foot was gone was heart-breaking. Dance was her life and passion, and it seemed like it was unfairly taken away from her.

Video documentaries of Adrianne and her husband show really emotional and challenging moments after the bombings. Realizing that their lives had been put in danger left emotional scars and terrible anxiety. Even the sound of fireworks would set off a panic.

Apart from the emotional stress, there was also the physical aspect of being an amputee. The introduction to a prosthetic leg was very painful. The physical therapy sessions were long and difficult, but none of it was done in vain.

After lots of hard work and a state-of-the-art prosthetic leg, Adrianne was able to dance again! She  recently performed a rumba routine on stage at TED Talk and even gave Anderson Cooper from CNN a private dance lesson on camera. She is also working out dates to dance on ABC's Dancing with the Stars.

Adrianne is a survivor with a dream and a passion. No mental or phyiscal roadblock was going to get in her way of continuing on with her dream.

 Miss Tess

tessc@balletpetite.com