Philadelphia Ballet Dancer Returns to THE NUTCRACKER After Cancer Treatment

CBS News reports that this year’s Philadelphia Ballet staging of "The Nutcracker" will include a remarkable comeback story. Company dancer Nick Patterson, who spent much of last year undergoing treatment for Stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma, is set to make his debut as Cavalier during the holiday run at the Academy of Music.

Patterson told CBS News, "Nothing else in this world can gratify me in the way that this profession does." His future in dance became uncertain after his diagnosis, and he recalled the fear surrounding it: "I didn't know what my prognosis was going to be." At this time last year, he was in the middle of six months of intensive chemotherapy, working toward the goal of returning to the stage.

Now in remission, the 29-year-old is back in the studio preparing for one of the production’s central roles. "I'm getting to live out my childhood dreams," he said, adding that performing again feels especially meaningful after what he endured: "because of what I was going through last year and where I am now."

Patterson’s wife, Erin Patterson, who also appears in the production, said the season carries extra meaning for them both. "Where he was one year ago to where he is today is a stark difference," she told CBS News. With the dancer now cancer-free, she added, "he gets to debut in this huge role."

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