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Winter 2016 : Dancer to end cancer

Dancer to end cancer

Teen organizes flash mob in honor of grandparents

BY Allison Schaffer

Jordan Diamond, with the help of friend Keaton Bullen, proudly concludes her bat mitzvah community service project, a dance flash mob to raise cancer awareness.

Jordan Diamond, 13, of Fort Worth, never takes the easy way out. From her full school schedule at Fort Worth Country Day to hours each week in class at the Dance Concept studio, Jordan is the epitome of commitment.

So when it came time for her bat mitzvah, a Jewish tradition that represents a girl going into adult life, Jordan knew she had to go beyond the norm. She decided to use her bat mitzvah community service project to raise awareness and funds for finding a cure for cancer, a disease that's deeply affected her family since before she was born.

Photos courtesy of Julie Diamond.

"My grandmother, Carol Gold, was treated for breast cancer at MD Anderson," said Jordan. "And my grandfather, Alan Gold, was treated at MD Anderson for brain cancer before he passed away. I thought it would be a good idea to raise money for breast and brain cancer."

"We strive to make sure our kids get involved in as many ways as they can," says Jordan's mother, Julie Diamond.

Jordan teamed up with her friend Keaton Bullen to choreograph a three-minute flash mob in honor of her grandmother.

She chose Friday on the Green, an outdoor concert series at Magnolia Green Park in Fort Worth, for the big debut. Hundreds of bystanders watched as Jordan began to dance, only to be joined by dozens more dancers, with MD Anderson's iconic Strike Through Cancer logo in the background.

"My grandmother was so happy she was in tears," she says.

Jordan's hard work paid off, raising more than $4,500 for breast cancer research and the Alan L. Gold Memorial Fund for Brain Cancer Research at MD Anderson.

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