Sunday, May 21, a 67-year-old ballerina took to the stage during Nine One Eight Performing Arts Studio’s recital at Springfield Middle School and captivated the hearts of all in attendance.

This ballerina, Jan Thompson, was a math teacher at this very same school 13 years prior until the day she was carried out of the building with a broken back after a bad accident. 

Jan was a ticking time bomb. One big sneeze could have paralyzed her for life. Surgery gave Jan a steel rod, an 18 inch scar, and fourteen prescription medications, resulting in her being bedridden for 18 months. 

“I was sleeping nineteen hours a day. I had no hope and no future, or so I thought,” she recounts. “When I got up the courage to ask my doctor if we would be meeting like this in five years, he said, ‘Yes, ‘this is what chronic pain is.’”

Hearing those words sparked a mental switch within her, and Jan determined not to live in the reality of that report. “I chose to believe the report of the Lord, instead,” says Jan. “My strength comes from God. He’s been the constant in my life.” 

Jan’s recovery was holistic—supporting the mind and body together through nutrition, therapy, and exercise. Following an anti-inflammatory, clean diet, Jan started walking for daily movement. After 18 months, she went from walking a few feet at a time to walking seven miles easily, and in 2020, she completed a 17 mile hike in Arizona.

Jan also credits a therapist. “She helped me look at my seriously negative thoughts and say, ‘Let’s look at that. Is that really true?’ What we dwell on directly impacts our life. We must be positive. Focus on the things that bring joy.” 

Dancing brought Jan joy as a child. It made sense to dance again nearly 60 years later.

In December 2022 she took her first ballet class. Jan was quickly invited to participate in the recital. “I was still questioning the leotards,” she laughs. Yet her love for serving spurred her to say yes. Jan hopes that seeing her dance will encourage girls of all ages to know that dancing can be possible for them too.

During the recital, Jan shares her survival story. A teacher who loved pouring into young minds, she gets to do that again. “This is endurance. This is not giving up. Not everything is forward progress. You keep on trying. I was fighting for my life, for a life,” recalls Jan. “I still have pain, but my life isn’t defined by pain. I’ve made the decision that my life is defined by JOY. You know we can define life any way we want to. Life is still challenging, but that’s what life is after all.