Hello, my name is Bindi Weiland and I am 15 years old. I am a dancer from Clarion

Center for the Arts. This is my 13th year dancing and my 7th year attending Ohio Dance

Masters conventions. When I was five years old I was diagnosed with a condition called Pectus Excavatum, which is a deformity of the sternum and chest wall. This condition slowly progressed to the point where it began to affect my lungs and heart. The doctors found that it had caused my heart to shift and be pressed against my left side. It was also affecting my breathing and stamina which made it difficult to do any physical activity for long periods of time. By the time I was twelve, my condition was extremely severe, but I kept dancing and having lung function tests every six months. The doctors finally decided the best option was an operation called a NUSS procedure. I went ahead with the surgery in August of 2021 at Cleveland Clinic. It took about four hours and involved placing two twelve-inch titanium bars across my chest to correct my sternum bone. After the surgery I was unable to dance at all for four months. I still attended every one of my classes and watched from the side. Once I was released to start dancing again in December, I wasted no time and went back to dancing in all my classes and rehearsals. Just a few weeks later, I performed in our studio’s holiday ballet! My recovery went extremely well and in six months I was back to doing everything I could normally do.

A few years before my first surgery, the doctors found that I also had mild scoliosis. It wasn't until after my NUSS procedure that it started to progress quickly. By the time I was 14 years old, the curve in my upper spine had reached 60 degrees. Surgical correction is recommended at 40 degrees. That was when we began to talk about spinal fusion surgery. I knew that the recovery was 8-12 months and I would lose a lot of mobility. My dream was to continue dancing and become a dance teacher and I was afraid I would not be able to dance at all if I had spinal fusion. After seeing three different doctors in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia and finding out that no other option would work for me, I decided to pray and take the risk. Reluctantly, I had my second major surgery on July 26, 2023 at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. During the six-hour surgery, they put 20 screws and two rods in my spine to correct the curves. The recovery from my second surgery was much harder than my first. I was able to slowly start back to dance in two months but I was very upset with my limited mobility and pain. I wasn't allowed to bend my back until six months after the surgery. At that point I did not feel content with what I was able to do, so I started to take all of my dance classes very seriously and began to gain back more and more flexibility and stamina. I am so proud of how

hard I worked to get where I am today and I hope other dancers who are going through similar challenges never give up on doing what they love when trials arise.

This summer on August 12, I am having my third surgery to remove the bars from my chest. I know that with my faith, the support from my amazing dance family at Clarion Center for the Arts, and my love and passion for dance, I will get through this one just like the others. I plan to continue dancing for the rest of my life, and to someday open my own studio. I hope that with my story I will inspire other young dancers to never give up on their dreams.

Bindi Weiland

Ohio Dance Masters will give 75% of donations collected to Bindi for her medical expenses and 25% of donations collected to the Charity of Bindi’s choice.

ODM will donate $1.00 of every item sold of our ODM Apparel and all monies collected from the sale of Bindi’s ‘Keep Dancing For Bindi’ Bracelet.