In the 1950s, doctors didn’t expect Denise to survive to adulthood. The little girl who loved ballet proved them wrong and grew up to be a dance instructor. Then her kidneys failed. It’s been 10 years since Denise had a kidney transplant at Harper University Hospital and she’s still dancing.

When she was 4 years old, physicians told Denise’s parents to plan her funeral. She had a kidney disease called childhood nephrosis and in the 1950s there wasn’t much doctors could do. Denise’s parents listened to the physicians but didn’t take their advice. Instead of planning a funeral, they enrolled little Denise in dance classes.