Breast Cancer Awareness Special

At the beginning of the month, we asked our staff to share any stories they may have of family or friends who have been affected by breast cancer. Now, as breast cancer awareness month comes to a close, we are honored to share the story of Connie Bates’ bravery.

Connie was 2-years-old when she was introduced to dance. She grew up in a faith based dance studio in Houston, and trained there for 16 years before relocating to College Station where she began teaching and transitioning into a hip hop and contemporary dancer.

Dancing was her passion. It introduced her to new elements of life and brought her all over the map, from Houston to Dallas and South Africa to Europe. Dancing was also her release from the reality that breast cancer was also in her path.

Connie has had six active generations of breast cancer in her family. She had a cousin who was diagnosed in her 30s, and her grandmother and great-grandmother both died from the disease before the age of 40.

At 18, most people are deciding what their plans are post high school. Connie, however, was weighing the decision to get a double mastectomy, preventatively. She began seeing her OB-GYN to discuss her family history and her options, and begin monitoring her for any signs of breast cancer.
She went through a genetic test to identify any breast cancer susceptibility genes, the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, and tested positive for the former. With the BRCA1 gene and her family history, her chance of getting cancer by 30 was 82%. After an MRI, three non-cancerous lumps were found in her chest. Though benign, they were considered precursors. To add to this package, a second unidentifiable mutation was found.

This was a lot for the then 22-year-old to take in. Connie had just gotten engaged, and what was supposed to be a blissful time in her life had been overshadowed with the thought of being a ticking time bomb. Her doctor suggested that she get the double mastectomy for peace of mind. She agreed.
Connie was brave, but as time went on, she grew worrisome.

“I had been married 45 days and went from this happy honeymoon stage to my husband washing my hair in the sink,” she said. “I couldn’t move, dance or teach my classes anymore, and I was loosing feeling in my back in weird places. I started to be afraid that I’d never be able to move the same way again.”

And as a dancer, that possibility is earth shattering. During her three months of recovery, she began doing basic dance classes at her church. It was soothing, and it got her moving again.

When she went in for her second surgery, Connie was so ready to kick breast cancer where the sun doesn’t shine. She was ready to pursue her dance dreams and hit the ground running. But, at her doctor’s appointment, she ran into a detour. Connie was pregnant.

Her doctor’s explained that they could not do the operation until after her pregnancy. Connie was flooded with a mixture of emotions, from happy to confused to being in pain. The latter came from the tissue expanders in her chest. She described them as feeling like rubbing up against her muscles. Most only had them in for the three-month recovery period, but Connie had the tissue expanders for 15 months.

Connie’s identity was shaken. She was vulnerable, she thought she looked like a boy, and she was just tired. So she turned her attention back to dance to push her through.

“When I looked at myself in the mirror, I was unrecognizable. If I looked in the nursery, I was reminded that I was about to be a mom when I really wasn’t planning on. That was unrecognizable to me, too,” Connie said. “The only thing that was recognizable to me was being able to still dance and have that outlet. So I held on to it as long as possible.”

She danced until she was 33 weeks pregnant. A year from the date of her double mastectomy, Connie gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. She named her Bravery; symbolic of the season she and her husband were in with her health and fighting through it all.

“She’s just a constant reminder of the choice that I had,” Connie said. “I have such peace with the fact that I’m not going anywhere because I chose to be informed and be proactive and decided to just punch cancer in the face before it could even come and fight me.”

Connie is an inspiration to those that know her and those that know her story. Recently, a softball-sized tumor was found in one of her ovaries and was removed. Her “bring it on” attitude hasn’t waivered, even in the face of that, and her spirits are high. Not to mention, she has her Bravery with her.