Mariela Dances

Mariela started dancing when she was 12 years old in Ecuador. She trained in the conservatory and then moved to New York City to attend the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. For her, dancing is like breathing, is part of her culture, and is a way of meditation.  In 2014, she ended up in the hospital with liver problems, but no one really knew what was going on. Mariela and her family thought it might be related to her emotions and sadness, “something from the soul.” After years of mysterious symptoms on and off, she was eventually diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis.  Mariela shares her difficulty navigating the U.S. healthcare system and what it is like to be someone with chronic illness in a society that doesn’t understand and where healthcare is not a basic right. At first, she didn’t want a transplant – she didn’t feel deserving, and she didn’t want to be cut open. But she realized how much her students and sister were hurting, and “I realized how much I was loved. Love made me change my decision.” By the time she was listed for a transplant, she only had to wait 2 weeks until being matched with a deceased donor liver. She describes her transplant as a series of miracles for which she is very grateful.