How Robotic Surgery Helped a 10-Year-Old Dancer Return to the Stage in Record Time

Nemour’s Children’s Hospital. Kieva sits smiling in her Irish dancing costume

At 10 years old, Kieva has been dancing through life — literally. She is a competitive Irish dancer who reached the Open Championships — the highest level of competition — after just three years of dancing. However, she had a condition that put a stutter in her step.

At 3 years old, Kieva was diagnosed with bilateral vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), a condition in which urine flows backwards into the urethra and kidneys, causing frequent urinary tract infections and possible kidney damage. Kieva eventually was brought to Nemour’s Children’s Hospital, Delaware, where the medical team determined she needed surgery. Kieva’s concern was that the recovery time would impede her dancing.

To get her back onstage as fast as possible, Kieva’s medical team recommended a robotic surgery option, which would get her on her feet within a week. The team even made special bandages shaped like Celtic knots for extra luck.

Kieva’s surgery was in March 2024; on July 3, 2024, she qualified for the World Championships in Dublin, Ireland, which will take place in April 2025. By that time, Kieva should be completely done with her VUR treatments and ready to leap and twirl onto the world stage.