Her victory dance

When Alanna Chan started getting bad headaches about a year ago, it was a scary experience. Not only was she afraid it could derail her aspirations to be a successful actor and dancer, she was concerned it could threaten her life.

With a history of neurological conditions in her family, Chan sought immediate help, and now the 24-year-old Seaford resident is nearly recovered and again pursuing her dreams.

“I’m very aware of those symptoms,” she said, referring to the headaches on her right side that had her seeing stars, and often forced her to go to bed in the middle of the day. Her grandmother on her mother’s side had a stroke, and her other grandmother died from an arteriovenous malformation. Chan, after seeing doctors, was diagnosed with the latter, commonly referred to as an AVM. An MRI and angiogram revealed that she had a vascular lesion, an abnormal tangle of blood cells connecting arteries and veins in the brain, which disrupted proper blood flow.

Under the care of Dr. David Langer, chief of the division of neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital, and Dr. Rafael Ortiz, the director of neuro-endovascular surgery, she received the treatment she needed. Chan said that her fears dissipated as she got to know them better, and realized they cared for her like a daughter.

“The medical care was awesome,” she said, noting that they constantly checked in on her. “I never had a personal connection with doctors before, but Dr. Langer and Dr. Ortiz took such good care of me and they still do.”

“Now that she is treated, she is having a normal life without restrictions,” Ortiz said. “She can continue her passionate career as a ballerina.”

She was initially supposed to have her operation in March, but because of complications from the size of the AVM, it had to be pushed back to August. That timeline worried her, as she was to begin training at the famous Joffrey School of Ballet in Manhattan in September.

Chan had another setback when what was supposed to be a week in the hospital after her operation turned into 22 days due to bleeding she had when she was initially supposed to be discharged.

Despite the delay, Chan started her ballet training on time, and had no limitations. Some loss of vision was a risk with the surgery and that was a major concern for Chan because of her chosen career path. She did lose some peripheral vision after the surgery, but not permanently, and it has been coming back, allowing her to continue her dance training without any limitations.

The headaches have also stopped, and Chan is grateful that the surgery went as planned. Removal of the AVM required staged endovascular embolizations, a procedure to treat abnormal blood vessels by cutting off blood supply to an affected area, followed by a craniotomy to remove the tangle.

After a period of denial, the constant visits to doctors made Chan come to terms with the fact that she had a serious medical issue that needed to be addressed. Learning that an AVM meant a 1 to 2 percent chance of having a stroke — high for someone in their 20s — was her motivation to have the surgery done.

The experience taught the 2009 Seaford High School graduate to persevere and always remain optimistic, even in the face of great challenges. “A lot of times I felt like ‘why am I here?’” she said of her days in the hospital. She would then remind herself, “I can get through this.”

Support from her family was also important. Chan said they spent every day with her, and her boyfriend was by her side every night.

Ortiz said that Chan will have one more follow-up angiogram in the near future to confirm the normal circulation of blood in her brain. If the test shows that there is no residual AVM, there will be no need for more studies.

Chan graduated with a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Iona College, and worked in the profession with non-profit organizations for two years before deciding to turn to dance. She has been interested in acting since she was 4, is signed with Abrams Artist agency and she has had some small jobs, including commercial and print ads.

“But one day,” she said, she plans to make it big and hopes to land a major role either on television or on Broadway.

Chan wants to use her story as inspiration others. She wants other people to know that there will be obstacles in life, some that can seem very scary, but there are ways to get through it.