Jack’s Story: Dancing Again after Brain Tumor Surgery

Amy and her husband George never expected to cry at a ballet performance. But as they sat in the audience during the opening weekend of the Philadelphia Ballet’s Carmen, tears streamed down their faces.

On stage was their 17-year-old son, Jack, dancing just 13 months after major brain tumor surgery.

“It’s nothing short of a miracle,” Amy said.

A Lifelong Passion, Interrupted

Jack’s love for movement began at the age of seven after watching a friend perform Michael Jackson’s dance moves at a Halloween party.

“He became obsessed,” Amy laughed. “We bought him a sequined glove, and he would practice for hours every day, perfecting every step.”

That passion led him from hip-hop to tap, and eventually to classical ballet, thanks to a teacher who recognized and encouraged his natural ability. At just 10 years old, Jack earned a full scholarship to Rockwell Dance Center, where he trained for the next seven years.

By 16, Jack was on a professional path, earning scholarships to elite summer programs including Ballet Hartford, Nutmeg Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre.

But in the summer of 2024, Jack began to lose hearing in one ear. He brushed it off at first, until he found himself constantly turning his head to catch conversations. A visit to an ENT led to an MRI and devastating news. A four-centimeter benign tumor, called an acoustic neuroma, was pressing on the nerve that controls hearing and balance.

Jack was scheduled for surgery ten days later. “The night before he went in to the hospital, he was lifting the owner of his dance studio with one hand,” Amy said. “He was that strong.”

A Fight for His Life

Jack’s surgeon was confident she could remove most of the tumor but cautioned that he would permanently lose hearing in his right ear and might face complications such as double vision, difficulty swallowing, and severe balance problems.

“He couldn’t even sit up,” Amy said. “He had a feeding tube, he was throwing up constantly, and his brain was so swollen that at one point they were preparing to put in a shunt. I’ve never prayed so hard in my life.”

But even in the most difficult moments, Jack never stopped believing he would dance again.

“He later told me that from the moment he woke up, he pictured himself back on the stage,” Amy said. “He’d play classical music on his phone, close his eyes, and imagine performing all the steps.”

After nearly three weeks in the hospital during which Jack lost 25 pounds, the doctors told the Godos the next step was critical: Jack needed intensive rehabilitation.

“They said to get him to Gaylord Hospital.”

The Turning Pointe

“The hospital kept him alive,” Amy said, “but Gaylord helped him thrive.”

Jack arrived at Gaylord Hospital too weak to sit up. “But two days later,” Amy said, “they had him sitting up and showered. It doesn’t sound like that big of a deal, but to us it was momentous.”

Progress came quickly. Within just days, Jack was able to stand. Within a week, his physical therapist, Dan, had Jack walking across the gym and climbing stairs supported by the hospital’s ZeroG Gait and Balance System, which helped him move safely while regaining control and confidence.

With Jack’s goal to return to dance guiding every session, Dan incorporated ballet-inspired movements into therapy. Soon, Jack was practicing pliés and the foundational exercises that once defined his daily routine at the barre from the safety of the ZeroG.

“Dan pushed him hard because he knew Jack could handle it,” Amy said. “And if it wasn’t for ZeroG, I know he wouldn’t have recovered so fast.”

Jack also worked closely with his speech therapist, Janine, to regain his ability to swallow.

“She was relentless in the very best way,” Amy said. “She wanted him to swallow almost more than he wanted to. When he finally could, he celebrated with a hamburger, pizza, sushi, and Doritos - all in one meal.”

Whenever he wasn’t in therapy, Jack, an avid golfer, found peace outside on Gaylord’s beautiful 400-acre campus.

“We’d walk to the putting green every day and he’d spend hours out there,” explained Amy. “It helped him feel connected to the world again.”

Dancing Toward His Dream

After one month at Gaylord, Jack walked out of the door on discharge day and went straight to dance
class. “He literally danced for four hours that day,” Amy said. “That’s how strong Gaylord made him.”

After several weeks of outpatient therapy at Gaylord’s Wallingford campus - including physical, occupational, aquatic, and speech therapies - Jack returned to full-time dance training.

Less than one year later, he moved to Pennsylvania where he is now a trainee on partial scholarship with the Philadelphia Ballet’s pre-professional program. Recently, he’s been rehearsing for several roles in the company’s production of The Nutcracker, where he’ll dance in 35 shows throughout the holiday season.

As Jack steps back into the spotlight, Amy credits Gaylord Hospital for helping him find his footing again.

“I tell everyone about Gaylord,” Amy said. “I can’t imagine anywhere else being able to do what they do. It’s a state-of-the-art facility with everything patients need under one roof … and the highest quality care.”