From Zero to Zumba
Janessa Holman has not always had it easy. After being diagnosed with ovarian cancer as a teenager, Holman says every day seemed a little bit harder than the last. But since then she has found solace in Zumba. Now a Zumba instructor at the University of Nevada, Reno, Holman hopes to help and inspire others to find a way to get active and have fun at the same time.
Univeristy of Nevada, Reno student, Janessa Holman, is not only a Zumba instructor but a cancer survior. Diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 15, Holman talks about her journey back to the dance floor.
She describes not being able to walk up the stairs on her own while she was sick, but nevertheless has defied the odds and returned to dance after nearly a year of chemotherapy.
“It was really difficult to do anything let alone exercise. I couldn’t even walk up the stairs without someone’s help so it really put dancing on the back shelf for me and I was so bummed because I really loved it.”
“I started to dance again just for a couple minutes at a time because I’d feel really dizzy and I’d have to sit down but now I dance for 60 minute periods super high energy type stuff and yeah I’m tired at the end but I still feel energized and excited.”
You can see Holman’s enthusiasm and passion in every class that she teaches at the E.L. Weigand Fitness Center on Nevada’s campus. She even recalls her first time going to a Zumba class and how fast it clicked for her.
“As soon as I stepped into that classroom I felt so excited and so happy.”
That first class turned into an instant passion for the dance that she hopes can inspire others as much as it did her. When asked what she would tell a first time Zumba student she said,
“My motto is try everything once because if you don’t like it then you never have to go back again so you don’t want to miss out on something that could potentially be your passion or something that you would love doing just because you’re afraid to try it.”
For the Reynolds School of Journalism, I’m Taylor Harkrader.
