If Heather Mills can dance with one leg, then surely I can dance with one breast. ......... March 2007

My Favorite Dress

Amani Festival, Carlisle, PA
May 2006, BC (Before Cancer)

Elizabeth L. Yarnell - aka Elisheba - aka Betty Belly dance has been a life long hobby. I've held about 10 jobs in my 30+ year career in human services, but belly dance is the one thing I've done consistently my entire adult life. It's been a source of lifelong friendships, exercise and a comfort during times of hardship. Where else can a woman my age get away with wearing face tattoos and a nose ring! I'm not the first woman nor the first belly dancer to get breast cancer, but oh, how I wish I were the last. There are many inspirational women out there who have walked this path. One of them is my primary belly dance instructor, Jadaya, who had a double mastectomy in the late 70s when she was a young dancer. (Keep in mind, there were not the medical advances that we have today.) One of our friends commented to Jadaya on how well she could move her arms after all those surgeries. Jadaya tapped herself on the forehead and said, "You're crippled up here." I was about 25 at the time. Her words stayed with me through out my life and especially gave me strength during my journey with breast cancer. I've also been greatly influenced by my family. My mother had leukemia. My brother had colon cancer. One of my mother's sister had multiple myeloma. Four more of my mother's sisters had breast cancer. That was 6 out of 12 siblings! In addition to me and my brother, 8 other cousins have been diagnosed wtih cancer. That makes 10 out of 36 cousins. One cousin questions what our grandparents used to cure the homemade saurkraut. In my family, we eat desert first! I am incredibly blessed that all I needed was surgery. No other treatments were required. I am fortunate to have an excellent team of health care providers. I am incredibly blessed by the love and support of my wonderful family, friends, employer and coworkers who created for me what turned into an incredible journey of love. My journey with breast cancer is multifaceted and has many levels. The story on these pages is how it impacted my love of belly dance. On the other hand, maybe this tale is how my love of belly dance softened the blow from the diagnosis and saw me through this valley. (Or should I say cleavage!)

Many thanks to the folks who provided photos for this site. Hans, Jaheela, RaZan, Scott

POETRY: The Language of DANCE - A Blue Mountain Arts Collection to Celebrate the Magic of Dance - Blue Mountain Press

I'm relatively new at creating a website. If you see something on here that is yours and you want it removed, just let me know. Contact me at elspeth50@webtv.net