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Dance gave me an identity, a purpose, and a community that embraced me despite my accent, inexperience, and the fact that I didn’t know anyone. I dove headfirst into learning, training, and pushing myself to grow. That passion opened doors I never thought possible, especially as an immigrant who once couldn’t imagine dance as a career. So even though at first I was not grateful for the decision my parents made, which I know, was not easy on them; it is something I thank them a lot now.

Rising Stars: Meet Maria And Josue Cordoba of West Palm Beach

Hi Maria and Josue, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Our story began long before the accident that changed everything on May 1st, 2015. In fact, it all started with dance, the very thing that brought us together.

“We all make mistakes, but we never know what our decisions can do to someone else,” Hernandez said.

The dance instructor lost her mobility.

“What am I supposed to do? Nobody taught me how to deal with something like this,” Hernandez said.

But Hernandez was determined to return to the stage. After months of surgeries, physical, and speech therapies, she regained her strength.

“Patience is a virtue and she had to be patient to get to where she is currently," said Dr. Rami Elkhechen, an orthopedic surgeon at St. Mary’s Medical Center.

Hernandez is now back on stage doing what she loves.

As a show of appreciation after her near-death experience, Hernandez and her boyfriend, Josue, put together a fundraiser with fellow artists in the community. They delivered a check to the hospital’s pediatric unit last week.

“We give love with what we love the most, which is art," she said.

The driver of that other car is now in prison and will not get out until 2021.

Local dancer donates check to St. Mary's after near-death experience

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — A dancer almost lost it all after a drunk driver slammed into her car in West Palm Beach, leaving her and her boyfriend fighting for their lives and mobility.

“I was driving that night and the last thing I remember is seeing an oncoming car with its headlights off, but not until just before we collided,” recalls Maria. “I tried swerving out of the way, but there wasn’t enough time.”

Maria's Trauma Story

Dance instructor's intense determination to return onstage after traumatic injuries.