join the cause

Evan asks everyone to donate to Dancers Care Foundation either from our Donate Page or towards our Dollar Project where you can click “share” to spread the word about our Hope Mural.

WHY JOIN EVAN?

Here’s his top 10 list for you to get inspired to ACT

1. It’s a charitable donation which is tax deductible.
2. 100% of the proceeds go directly to cancer research and treatment.
3. Today’s diminished funding and grants for cancer research need your help.
4. It feels great to be benevolent and generous.
5. Together, we can make a difference.
6. You can help to bring hope to those lives that have been touched by cancer.
7. 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime.
8. I have personally benefited from the ground breaking clinical trial in Osteosarcoma that would not have been possible without the generous donations from individuals like you.
9. Your generous donations save lives everyday.
10. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States each year, so let’s join forces, get involved, support a friend, and help a dancer because… No one Beats Cancer Until We All Beat Cancer!

MEET EVAN?

I am Evan Ruggiero, a tap dancer and a cancer survivor. I am honored to be a part of the first annual Dancers Care Foundation Day. The importance of generating a network of support for dancers that promotes awareness for the research and treatment to fight cancer is very close to my heart. In these times of diminished grants and funding for cancer research and effective treatments, it is more important than ever to have a support network, such as The Dancers Care Foundation that will donate 100% of his proceeds to helping people to live complete lives, free of cancer.

what does it mean to be a survivor?

Does it mean that I am cancer free for 5 years and free from treatments and follow-up care? Does it mean that I do not think about cancer and the lives that it affects everyday? No! It means that I am living proof that we are all survivors from day one! The day I was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in 2009 was the day I became a survivor! Cancer is no match for the human spirit whether you are 19 or 99; whether you are dancer or an accountant. It never entered my mind that I would not dance again. I was lucky to have a physical therapist who was a ballet dancer, so the day after my amputation she had me out of bed doing demi-plies and walking down the hall. I could not wait to hear the taps and feel the vibration of the floor below me and the synchronicity with the music. As a drummer, I knew that if I could work my prosthetic foot on the double bass pedal that would be the start to my tapping again. Granted the sounds would be different because instead of 4 sounds from 2-heel/toe variations I would only have three with my one peg-leg. But I was up for the challenge of creating new combinations and pushing myself to being a great dancer once again. I am so grateful for the wonderful medical care that I have received; the care that would not be possible without the research and funding from support networks such as ours. I am also so blessed to have had the love and support of my family, friends and fellow dancers who embraced my ambition to dance again.

For more information on Evan, please read up on these articles.
True Grit with Evan Ruggiero »
A Message from Evan’s Mom »