Brenna needs Knee surgery

Dearest friends, family, and hopefully strangers,

I am creating this gofundme for my best friend, Brenna. She would never ask for help herself because she's impressively stubborn and incredibly humble, but that's what friends are for! 

Brenna is a professional ballet dancer who has been laid off and unable to perform since march due to COVID. It has been really hard for professional performing artists to maintain their craft while stuck at home doing ballet in their living rooms. After 8 months of no work, no performing, no ballet, Brenna's company was starting to come back in a very safe way to start performing Nutcracker in December.  Brenna was taking ballet class last week in efforts to get herself back in shape for the upcoming season, when she fell and tore her ACL. 

This is a HORRIBLE injury for professional athletes to endure. Brenna was  just told she'll need surgery, will be out for a year (on top of the 8 months she's already been unable to dance) and of course needs countless hours of physical therapy and rehab on the front and back end of surgery. What's more, she may also have a partial meniscus tear on top of her full ACL tear! 

To make matters worse, Brenna was not technically working when she tore her ACL, so none of her medical costs are covered by worker's compensation insurance. Though Brenna does have insurance (she will tell you herself it's not good insurance) she is having to pay for all of these costs on her own. So on top of not having worked the last 8 months, she is now facing another VERY EXPENSIVE year off. She is already out $1200 just for one MRI, a knee brace, a doctor's visit, and some Physical Therapy.

The total medical costs of an ACL repair far exceed a ballet dancer's salary (especially in the face of a global pandemic) and any donation will help to cover her medical expenses.  I know we are all suffering financially right now, but any amount will help! 

It is heartbreaking enough, as a professional athlete, to be told your career is temporarily on hold, but having to worry about crippling medical expenses creates an added layer of stress that is not helpful when trying to wrap your head around your new normal. 

So, please! Help Brenna cover her medical expenses, and help put an artist back on stage! The arts are so important for both performers and audience members, and we all need to rally around the arts in times like these. 

Thank you for your donation!