A little girl who lost a leg after a battle with cancer couldn’t hide her delight when she was finally able to tap dance with her idol – who also has one leg.
Evan Ruggiero, a famous performer and one-legged tap dancer, surprised Abri Bentley, 11, in Scottsdale, Arizona, where the pair spent two days practicing moves together.
Abri was diagnosed with cancer in her leg at the age of seven, which resulted in her being wheelchair-bound while she began a year of intense chemotherapy.
The situation crushed Abri, her family said, as it meant that she could no longer dance, and following unsuccessful limb salvage surgery, she opted to have the lower part of her left leg removed.
But she never stopped dreaming of one day dancing again. During her recovery, Abri attached a picture of Evan – known as Lord Peg Leg – to her goal board, stating that one day she would like to tap like the renowned performer.
Evan, 28, began dancing at the age of five, but during his sophomore year of college a life-changing diagnosis of a rare bone cancer in his leg resulted in his right leg being amputated.
Evan had seen Abri dancing on Instagram after numerous people had tagged him in her posts, and with the help of Wiggle Your Toes, a non-profit that helps people who have suffered from limb loss, and SoDanca (Just Dance), who designed the likes of dance equipment for the pair, Abri and Evan were able to eventually meet in July.
Story courtesy of T&T Creative Media