Heidi was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008. After a double mastectomy at El Camino Hospital, she recovered and began to move on with life. But, in 2010, she was diagnosed with skin cancer, which also needed surgery, and then an ovarian tumor. In all, Heidi has had 10 surgeries, but she has never given up hope.
Because she was so grateful for the care she received, in September 2011 Heidi came to El Camino Hospital with the idea of producing a Pink Glove Dance video for breast cancer awareness month. She volunteered countless hours of her time to help put the video together.
With Heidi as our inspiration and lead dancer, we rallied more than 200 staff members for the video. To us, Heidi is what the survivor movement is all about. She's an inspiration!
The video has been viewed more than 6,000 times on YouTube and has helped raise awareness of the importance of breast cancer screening and prevention. Heidi continues to make appearances at hospital events and reach out to women in the community, many of whom have pledged to get their first mammograms this year, in her honor. All hospitals should be lucky enough to have a patient success story like Heidi's!