85-year-old amputee gets another chance to dance

“I had the best day of my life last Wednesday,” Shirley Johnson, an 85-year-old resident of RiverSpring Living, said. 

When she was younger, Johnson loved to dance with her husband. But after having her leg amputated, she was discouraged.

RiverSpring Living’s Golden Dreams program partners with other city organizations to grant residents’ bucket-list wishes, and Johnson’s was to dance again. 

Born and raised in Harlem, Johnson met her late husband, William Jackson, in her mid-20s. The two had a daughter together and raised two others from Johnson’s previous marriage. He was a “caring, very gentle, kind young man,” Johnson said. “I love him to death.” 

“Most times, we would be home, and we would put our records on — Johnny Mathis, Louis Armstrong — and we’d just dance around the living room,” she said. 

Sometimes, the couple would have nights out ballroom dancing in Manhattan at venues like Audubon Ballroom, Rockland Palace and Golden Gate Ballroom. 

“We had a beautiful life — being with people, going out, laughing, meeting other people, coming back home,” Johnson said, “I loved it.” 

Her daughters attended Ruth Williams Dance Studio in Harlem, where Johnson watched them take tap, ballet, and jazz lessons every Saturday, making dancing an even bigger part of her life. 

As she got older, Johnson began spending time in and out of hospitals. She had three bypass surgeries on each of her legs, but blood flow did not improve.
The loss of blood supply caused her to develop gangrene in her left leg, leaving her with little choice but to amputate. 

“You’re either going to die, or let us take the leg off,” Johnson recalled doctors telling her. Her leg was severed in June 2019. 

Soon after, Johnson became a resident at RiverSpring Living and began working with physical therapists. After using her first prosthetic for a number of years, it started to wear out and cause her discomfort. 

In June, Johnson got a new prosthetic. On July 2, she went ballroom dancing at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio in White Plains. 

“I was just in seventh heaven,” Johnson said. “I felt like Cinderella.” 

Golden Dreams started a few months prior, said Wendy Steinberg, chief communications officer at RiverSpring Living. 

“We realized residents were so busy raising families and making ends meet, they never really focused on themselves,” Steinberg said. “And yet, they have so much life to live and still want to experience new things.” 

The first Golden Dream wish was granted in late May to Jacqueline Kimmelstiel, a 97-year-old Holocaust survivor, who always wanted to attend college. With the help of the University of Mount Saint Vincent, RiverSpring Living created a college experience for Kimmelstiel — complete with an honorary college degree, Steinberg said. 

Johnson, meanwhile, said she would love to dance again after a few months of strengthening her new prosthetic leg. 

Golden Dreams and RiverSpring Living are happy to give her that chance.