Resilient 11-year-old dancer returns to perform after parade tragedy

By WDJT Staff

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    WAUKESHA, Wisconsin (WDJT) — After a turbulent past few months, Jessalyn Torres returned to the stage Saturday night.

Alongside her dance group, Waukesha’s Xtreme Dance Team, she performed a partner dance routine less than 24 hours after having surgery on her trachea.

When a car barreled through the Waukesha Christmas Parade, Torres was hit in the chest and spent weeks in the hospital. She suffered a broken pelvis in three places, a fractured skull, lost a kidney, had internal bleeding and has since had several surgeries to repair the injuries. The recent trachea procedure was necessary because doctors discovered that she was only inhaling with 20% capacity – the equivalent of breathing through a straw.

CBS 58’s Amanda Becker attended the performance, click here to see a brief clip. Stay tuned to CBS 58 for a complete story about Jessalyn’s return to form.

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