Rarely do people come across stories so genuine and inspiring that they demand to be shared. Maggie Kudirka has one of those stories. And the Bound creative team is proud to help her share it.

While a dancer for the world-famous Joffrey Ballet Concert Group, Maggie was diagnosed with stage four cancer in her lymph nodes and bones. This news, though devastating, seemed to put things into perspective for Maggie. Just a few months before, she’d been questioning if she should continue pursuing dance as a career. But now, she knew had to. “I couldn’t do anything else.”

To keep family, friends, and teachers updated on what was going on, she started her Bald Ballerina website. And as her following grew, she started to realize that she could reach a lot of people with her message and bring awareness to breast cancer among young women.

For instance, Maggie promotes monthly “portabras” or self-exams. Down the road, she hopes to turn Bald Ballerina into a non-profit to give grants to dancers who need it to pay their medical bills. The Joffrey School has been extremely supportive of Maggie’s journey and desire to spread awareness as she continues to live her dream as a dancer.