leading up to the day…

In December, I was practicing for my upcoming Arangetram (a solo graduation of Indian classical dance which I began studying at age 5) when an idea struck me: my dance would be for my friend and other pediatric patients battling cancer. Arangetrams are typically flamboyant parties with gifts, ornate jewelry, and pricey costumes. Many dancers fly out international orchestras, have costumes made in India, and rent out large auditoriums for their performances. I, however, opted for a simple gathering at the local temple and turned it into a fundraiser. Instead of gifts and fancy decorations, I urged people in my community to donate to my fundraising page and spread my message of advocacy.

This journey wasn’t easy. It started smoothly with CCTDI ready to partner with me to raise money for research. I practiced daily, created a fundraising page, and advertised for my event, initially set for February 4. On January 14, the week of my junior year finals, a blizzard hit Oregon. This once-in-a-decade winter storm caused thousands of trees to fall, taking out power lines and blocking roads all over the city. It restricted students from attending school, caused flooding at the temple, and forced several important events to be rescheduled to the day of my performance. Important people who were scheduled to come to my event now had conflicts with the other events that were being rescheduled. This would make it impossible for my performance to proceed as planned. However, I was determined to hit my fundraising goal and was forced to move the event to January 27, one week before the original plan. And then there was another hit: my finals were also moved to the week of the performance. Instead of having the full week before the performance to practice like I had initially envisioned, I was now going to be taking some of the most important tests of junior year the same week as the most important dance performance of my life. So I sat down during the blizzard and dusted off old candles from storage, practicing dance and studying for finals by candlelight. I strove to perfect my dance in the next few days while simultaneously studying for my finals in the dark. I moved everything to the 27th, rescheduling the entire fundraiser. The week before the performance, I managed to complete my finals while practicing dance at the temple for hours after each test. The day after my finals ended I stepped on stage and it was all worth it. Every dollar raised and every moment spent preparing for that performance was a step toward a future where children like my friend have access to life-saving treatments.