Ballerina Finds Her Voice After Breast Cancer at 37

When professional ballerina Abigail Simon noticed a lump in her breast had changed, she refused to accept easy answers.

Simon had spent decades training her body for American Ballet Theatre, The Joffrey Ballet, and touring with Broadway's An American in Paris. Dancing eight hours a day was routine. Trusting her body was part of the job.

But at 37, with an 11-month-old son, Simon pushed her doctors for answers. Her mother and both aunts had survived breast cancer. Doctors had previously dismissed her concerns, attributing lumps to dense breast tissue common in dancers.

This time was different. The lump had changed after giving birth, and her clinician urged immediate evaluation. Simon was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer that had spread to a lymph node.

"I can't take a backseat to my care," Simon says. "I've got to be kind but direct. I've got to advocate."

Simon underwent a double mastectomy with reconstruction, followed by chemotherapy. She expected to return to dance quickly. Instead, she developed post-mastectomy pain syndrome, experiencing two years of persistent pain that made performing impossible.

The body that had carried her through a professional dance career couldn't do what it once did. Ballet was no longer her full-time job. Simon had to grieve that loss while learning a new kind of strength.

Her story highlights an important reality about breast cancer screening. The U.S. now recommends mammograms at 40 for average-risk women, but family history changes everything. The American Cancer Society says women at high risk should begin annual screenings around 30.

Since September 2024, mammography facilities must inform patients about breast density and its impact on cancer detection. For women like Simon, those conversations can be lifesaving.

Why This Inspires

Simon's journey isn't just about surviving cancer. It's about finding her voice when her body changed in ways she never imagined.

She learned that advocating for herself was as important as any performance. Pushing for screenings despite her age likely caught her cancer early. Refusing to accept dismissive answers gave her a fighting chance.

Now 40, Simon is redefining what it means to be strong. Her career looks different, but the determination that made her a professional dancer is the same force that got her through treatment.

She's living proof that knowing your body and making sure others listen can change everything.