Cancer survivor Nikki Blain returns to stage in WA Ballet’s performance of Giselle at His Majesty’s Theatre

Ballet has been Nikki Blain’s world since she was just six years old but a cancer diagnosis last year almost shattered her dreams. As the 27-year-old warms up to star in WA Ballet’s performance of Giselle later this month she has reflected on the harrowing year she experienced with bladder cancer in the hope of raising awareness for the cruel disease that can also affect young women. After dismissing what she suspected was a regular urinary tract infection in April of last year, she and her husband Luke Johnson were shocked to later learn doctors had discovered a tumour in the epithelial lining of her bladder. “The (doctors) said, ‘Oh you’re young you’re healthy, it’s going to be nothing’,” Blain told TheWest. It wasn’t until she underwent surgery to remove the tumour that they discovered she had bladder cancer. “My urologist came to my hospital bed and was like, ‘Actually, it was in fact stage one cancer’, which was the hardest thing of my whole life,” she explained. Because the tumour was found early, Blain was able to have chemotherapy through a catheter into her bladder, but she felt incredibly alone surrounded my mostly men 40 years her senior. “When I realised that I was the only person in my 20s, I went on to Instagram; there were not many Australians, but all these women around the world sharing their stories and I thought, ‘Wow there are other people like me,’” she said. “The feeling of having a community and not being alone is key when you’re going through something tough.” Blain is now cancer free and is excited for her return to the stage on opening night on May 13 at His Majesty’s Theatre. She hopes sharing her story may inspire young women to speak to their GP. “Listen to your body and discuss things with your doctor, even if it seems silly or uncomfortable or awkward, because I think early detection is key,” she said.