Dance for Reagan raises awareness, money for leukemia

Last summer, Reagan McDonald eagerly counted down the weeks for her move to Russia, where she planned to spend two years ministering to college students.

McDonald, 23, of Fort Worth, had spent much of her senior year at the University of Oklahoma raising money for the Campus Crusade for Christ mission to Moscow. With the trip just weeks away, McDonald visited her doctor last July for a routine check up. Though she had been feeling fine, she was troubled by unexplained bruises covering both legs.

When her test results came back abnormal, McDonald was shocked to learn she was among a small percentage of the population to have two types of leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow.

"You never wake up and think ‘I’m going to have cancer.’ It never crosses your mind you’ll be the one to have it. It’s always somebody else,” McDonald said.

With dreams of going to Moscow behind her, McDonald began months of chemotherapy and radiation treatment at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Now in remission, McDonald said she’s grateful for the blessings, such as opportunities to share her faith with others, that her leukemia diagnosis has brought.

Another blessing was reconnecting with friends such as Chandler Joslin, whose contemporary dance company will perform at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Will Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth in her honor and to benefit the nonprofit Leukemia Texas. Money raised by the Dance for Reagan performance will go toward leukemia research and to provide financial assistance for other Texans undergoing treatment for the disease.

‘Use your gifts’

Joslin, also an OU alumna, had attended the same Fort Worth dance academy McDonald had as a child. After learning about her friend’s diagnosis, Joslin said, prayer led her to launch her dance company and hold a performance to raise money and awareness for the fight against leukemia.

“I spent a lot of time praying about it. God was like ‘Use your gifts. Use what I gave you to make a difference,’” Joslin said. “I’m constantly blown away by Reagan’s courage and positive spirit. I feel like it would be very easy to be negative and be pretty depressed about it, but she has her faith and is constantly finding new ways to praise God. That is not easy to do.”

About 1.4 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with leukemia at some point in their lifetime, according to the National Cancer Institute. An estimated 52,380 people were diagnosed with the disease in 2014, making up 3.1 percent of all new cancer cases.

“Leukemia is a cancer that doesn’t discriminate. It can happen at any time of life. It’s not a childhood cancer,” said Mandy O’Neill, CEO of Leukemia Texas.

Leukemia can also wreak havoc on a family’s finances. O’Neill said the nonprofit has seen patients whose families have incurred $1 million in expenses.

“We work very hard to raise as much money as we can not only to support research to eradicate leukemia but to support patients,” O’Neill said.

A 90-minute show

McDonald said she’s been deeply touched by the outpouring of support she’s received from friends, family and strangers, many who connected with her on Facebook as she posted about her medical journey. She’s now beginning two years of monthly chemotherapy and looks forward to feeling like she did before her diagnosis.

“It’s cool that people like Chandler, who should be focusing on their own jobs and families, are taking time to raise money for this cause and for people who are fighting leukemia now or who will have it,” McDonald said. “This money can kick-start research for more treatments.”

Since she had the idea last summer, Joslin said, the Dance for Reagan benefit has blossomed into a 90-minute show that includes a performance by OU dance students.

“I was ready to tap-dance on the sidewalk if I had to,” Joslin said. "You can always do something to give back, even if it’s small.”

This story was originally published April 6, 2015 at 4:37 PM with the headline "Dance for Reagan raises awareness, money for leukemia."