Today internationally renowned Principal Dancer, Petra Conti, continues to pursue her passion dancing with the Los Angeles Ballet. Earlier this year, she toured Canada as part of the Great Russian Ballet. It wasn’t long ago that she graced the stage with the Boston Ballet company and faced an unexpected and frightening obstacle.
With the premiere of a ballet just around the corner, Petra started to feel nauseous and dizzy. At first she assumed it was from stress related to her job. But after that first performance was over, her symptoms just increased each day.
Soon after the premiere
Before long, Petra went to see her primary care doctor who ordered tests and discovered a mass on her kidney. He sent her right away to Urologist-in-Chief, Gennaro A. Carpinito, MD at Tufts Medical Center.
Dr. Carpinito examined Petra and said she was lucky her inch-long tumor was found as early as it was. He explained they would be able to remove it by performing a minimally invasive laparoscopic procedure.
Most importantly, he told Petra that her chance of survival was very good. She scheduled the surgery, grateful she was being taken care of by Dr. Carpinito and his team at Tufts MC.
“I was very positive and happy when I went to surgery,” Petra said. “I felt very calm and confident.”
She had good reason to feel that way.
“Petra’s surgery was a success. We were able to remove just the tumor and save the kidney,” Dr. Carpinito recalled.
“It took me one year to come back, to be the Petra that I was,” she said. “I now joke that I’m Petra Conti 2.0 because I feel that I’m a better dancer now.
A special bond
Six months after surgery, Petra surprised Dr. Carpinito with a pair of her ballet shoes to show him how grateful she was for the care she received while at Tufts MC. She signed them and wrote a heartfelt message thanking him for saving her life.
“I really believe he’s a hero and he saved my life,” said Petra.
Dr. Carpinito was very happy to be involved in Petra’s care and to help her continue to pursue her passion. “The relationships between patients and physicians are very special,” said Dr. Carpinito.
“Tufts Medical Center is, for me, the best,” added Petra. “I feel very lucky to have been in Boston, to come here and be treated here.”
