COLLEEN BRENNAN
32 year breast cancer survivor
Colleen was raised in south Florida and has worked in the residential development industry for over 40 years.
With a degree in theatre and dance from Barry University in Miami, she also had a parallel career in the performing arts, appearing in many plays and as an 18-year member of The Swing Sisters 1940’s tribute trio.
At age 37, she was still performing professionally when diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a hard treatment with a long recovery. She hopes the results of her cancer study back in 1992 contributed to the wider range of options available to those going through treatment today.
In 2001 Colleen and her husband, Howard, sold their company and retired. They moved up to Vero Beach in 2003 to care for her elderly parents who had lived here for many years.
An accident in 2004 shattered her leg and the reconstruction resulted in another long recovery. Colleen never thought she’d dance again and sometimes has to fake it, but she perseveres!
Due to her lifelong love of the ocean, she volunteered for a number of years at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, ultimately accepting the fulltime position of Director of Operations for the Foundation at Harbor Branch.
She held this position for several years before leaving to help her husband start an excavating business, A Girl With A Tractor, which keeps her busy with accounting and compliance.
When her schedule allows, Colleen has donated substantial effort to local nonprofits such as Impact 100, Vero Beach Theatre Guild and Friends After Diagnosis.
She is a founding member who administrates The Cancer Dancers and helps with choreography.
“Cancer and its aftereffects repeatedly try to rob your joy, but dancing and moving to music bring a euphoria that definitely trumps misery!"
