Cyan Love

I have been a dancer my entire life. I started dancing at three years old, and by the time I was ten, I knew I wanted to dance professionally. From that moment on, I dedicated my life to that goal. Along the way, like many dancers, I experienced injuries—but none impacted me as profoundly as my knee.

I first dislocated my patella when I was about 13 or 14 years old. After that, I suffered multiple additional dislocations. My knee always felt unstable and unreliable, but I learned how to dance through the pain and uncertainty. For many years, I lived with chronic instability and discomfort, pushing forward because dance was everything to me.

In August 2024, I began the season with my first professional ballet company, American Midwest Ballet in Omaha. It was a dream milestone, and I was beyond excited. Just one month later, in September 2024, I was in rehearsal when I felt my patella dislocate again during a turn. I recognized the sensation immediately—it had happened before. I sat down and waited for the pain to settle, unaware that this injury would change everything. When I tried to stand and continue dancing, I realized something was very wrong.

Devastated and unsure of what to do next, I called my mom. We returned to Florida, where I saw my longtime physician, Dr. Kathleen Davenport, who had treated me for previous injuries over the years. After reviewing my imaging, she explained that I had sustained a severe cartilage injury, and fragments of my patella had broken off during the dislocation. She told me I would need surgery and emphasized that it was critical I see a true specialist if I wanted any chance of dancing again. She immediately recommended Dr. Beth Shubin Stein at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York - and I am forever grateful that she did.

On December 10, 2024, I underwent a highly complex and intense surgery. Dr. Shubin Stein reconstructed my MPFL ligament, performed a tibial tubercle transfer, and completed a cartilage transplant. Understandably, I was scared and uncertain about the future of my career - but Dr. Shubin Stein never wavered. She had complete confidence that I would return to dance, stronger than before.

The first few weeks after surgery, I attended physical therapy at HSS in Paramus, New Jersey, where I worked with Curtis Wu. I then returned to Florida to continue my rehabilitation at Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute. My recovery was long and, at times, mentally exhausting. There were moments it felt unbearable. But after a year of dedicated physical therapy, multiple flights back and forth to New York for in‑person follow‑ups, along with virtual visits with Dr. Shubin Stein, I finally returned to Omaha in August 2025 to begin the season with American Midwest Ballet once again.

Now, in April 2026, I have just completed the season and performed in our spring production. While it has taken time for my strength to fully return - and I continue to work on it every day—my knee feels stronger and more stable than it ever has in my life, with virtually no pain. A year and a half later, I am back doing what I love, on a knee I can finally trust, knowing I will only continue to grow stronger.

I am incredibly grateful to HSS, to every physical therapist who worked with me, and to my parents and friends who supported me through the hardest moments of this journey. Most of all, I am endlessly thankful to Dr. Beth Shubin Stein - for her skill, her confidence, and her unwavering commitment to getting me back on stage and dancing again.