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Thursday, September 14, 2006
Leukemia can be a merciless and scary thing for a little girl just 6 years old. It can take away the normal joys of childhood and replace them with a cold routine of medical regimen and unpleasant experiences.
But, for Sarah Fiorita the disease has not dimmed a dream she has harbored since she was 2 years old — when she was introduced to the world of dance by a storybook mouse named Angelina Ballerina.
Extras
In Sarah's favorite DVD, Angelina demands the stage with grace and finesse, a captivating image of beauty in motion.
"Sarah just loves Angelina and has never given up her dream of becoming a ballerina," said her mother, Kathryn, of Vandalia, a respiratory therapist at Miami Valley Hospital.
Sarah's father, Joe, a nurse at Good Samartican Hospital added, "Sarah watched the ballet DVD so many times when she was in the hospital it is practically worn out."
When Dayton Ballet Director Dermot Burke heard about her dream, the dancers decided to reach out to the brave little ballet fan who is fighting a grown-up disease.
Sarah has acute myelogenous leukemia, a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. She has endured two bone marrow transplants and many days of treatments and therapies, according to her family.
Wednesday evening, after a chemotherapy session but full of energy, Sarah joined 18 dancers who joked with her, taught her her some steps and demonstrated positions.
Then, the ballet company gave Sarah a red tu-tu and invited her to join them on the Victoria Theatre stage.
"I'm dancing on the stage," Sarah called out. "I'm dancing on the stage."
It was magical and emotional for those who were there.
When the music from the Nutrcracker Suite ended, little Sarah moved center stage and as everyone applauded, the tiny ballerina gave them a graceful bow.
And a warm smile.
For one wonderful moment all was well.
