not home yet...: THON

What is THON?

THON is action. THON is love.

THON is fun. THON is heartbreaking.

THON is painful. THON is life-giving.

THON is believing. THON is hope.

THON is a dance marathon fundraiser held annually at Penn State University in PA. It was started in 1973 and in 1977 it became exclusively committed to helping pediatric cancer patients. THON decided to focus on one recipient- The Four Diamonds Fund in Hershey, PA. Since the beginning, they have raised almost $80 million dollars!! These funds support the families of children in treatment paying for everything not covered by insurance and then some, fund hospital additions, support the therapy programs for patients, and most recently... spending millions to fully fund new research grants.

THON is the largest student-run philanthropic organization put on annually by 3,000 student organizers who handle everything from finances, to entertainment, to merchandise, to technology, to supply and logistics, to caring for the cancer families, to sweeping the floors, cleaning the bathrooms, and taking out the trash. They do it ALL themselves. There are no adults in charge. This is this is student run from the top down. We came in contact with hundreds of them doing their assigned tasks and I must say I was impressed every time. Their compassion and commitment was inspiring whether giving directions, selling a snack, or cleaning a toilet.

The essence of THON is the weekend long dance marathon. The dancers are on their feet for 46 consecutive hours to honor the 46 children newly diagnosed with cancer every single day. They are supported by a team of volunteers who encourage, feed, massage, and support them. They are on their feet the entire weekend. They eat standing up. They wash their hair standing up. They even pee standing up! It is a grueling test of physical and mental endurance driven by the compassion and admiration these students have for the Hershey Heroes battling cancer.

We were invited to attend THON this year by our friend, Matt, who is a senior at PSU. He was chosen from thousands to be one of the select THON dancers on the floor of the arena. We were so proud of his efforts and were excited to find out we would be able to make the trip. Friday morning we were up before the sun to board a plane- Happy Valley or bust :)

The kids were a hoot on the plane. They have been on over 50 planes in their lifetime, but the older they get the more they want to understand about flying. Two summers ago we were flying to Texas for a family wedding. Carter announced he was not going because he refused to fly any higher than he could jump. We convinced him to give it another shot and were thankfully successful.

The fascination this trip? Emergency procedures. Fun times. When the flight attendant said, "Please remove the safety placard from the seatback in front of you and give me your undivided attention for the next 3 minutes." Carter was appalled that his fellow fliers did not comply. He was hanging on every word...

He was most concerned about a water landing. Now let me remind you, the first leg of the trip is a 20 minute jaunt down I-85 to Charlotte. If we see water, we are in more trouble than we thought. He proceeded to get out of his seat to remove his seat cushion to see how it becomes a flotation device! Always prepared :)

Meanwhile the presentation has moved on to the oxygen mask segment. Julia begins to yell, "I don't want oxygen!! No oxygen!!" Apparently we have a little 'surgical PTSD'. I kept telling her she wasn't getting oxygen. We were in an airplane, not a hospital. It took a little convincing, but she finally believed me.

Hopefully we can fly without making too much of a scene for the rest of the trip. We had a relaxing layover in Charlotte as we enjoyed breakfast in the rocking chairs, under the warm sunshine, listening to the piano music. Much better. We had an easy last leg as we flew into Harrisburg. Carter had the people around us laughing pretty hard as he outlined the escape procedures should we crash into the ice-covered Susquehanna River surrounding the airport. I am happy to say we touched down on the runway as planned.

After getting our luggage, loading our cart, picking up the rental car, and installing the car seats- we were off to State College. It is a scenic drive along the winding river, through the mountains, and into the valley. The kids were wiped from their morning adventures...

By the time we arrived, everyone was refreshed and ready for some lunch. We were blessed with an unusually warm 70 degree day! Unheard of in PA in February. There were flip flops, shorts, and tank tops everywhere you looked. We decided to seize the day and enjoy downtown and the PSU campus.

Look who it is... JOE PATERNO!!

Congrats on the Big 400!!

Then we headed over to the BJC arena for the THON kickoff. The line of students was wrapped around the building! They descended on the place full of excitement and anticipation. Time to get this party started!

One of the first activities is learning this year's line dance. It is a specially written and choreographed dance that commemorates the past year's events as well as the meaning of THON. It is performed every hour to keep the dancers motivated. After a few rounds the kids had learned it, too. Here's a little line dance action for you...

If you want to learn the moves yourself, here's the closeup lesson.

For 46 hours, the BJC is packed to overflowing while everyone dances, cheers, plays, eats, sings, laughs, cries, remembers, dreams, believes, hopes, and STANDS for the little cancer heroes. The families are treated to a weekend of fun and memories as the special guests of THON for the entire event.

We were excited to be there in support of Matt, the dancers, the families, and all the heroes. It was like the craziest, most energetic, most extravagant pep rally you could ever imagine! Every hour they organize different themed activities on the floor for the dancers and families from color wars to water fights to life-size jenga to county fairs to cookie decorating to board games to volleyball and the list goes on. The kids had a great time.

On Saturday morning we had a chance to spend an hour on the floor. It is a huge treat to be able to join the heart of the action. It is a bustle with games, food, toys, people, and fun. Carter and Matt...

Kim and Julia with the Geico Gecko...

(We also had visits from the Phillie Fanatic, the entire cast of Star Wars, the Nittany Lion, and many more!)

Carter loved all the games being played and was right in the middle of the action...

making friends left and right and joining water fights whenever possible...

The fun continued into the stands, too!

Julia liked the Red Cross Bloodhound...

We had lots of yummy local treats, too- Creamery ice cream, philly pretzels, and more. Mmmm :)

We had a wonderful weekend spending time with some of our favorite friends. Mike, Kim, Michael, Meghan, Matt, and Madison- thanks for the memories and the fabulous hospitality! We can't wait to get together again!

We had to fly back Sunday morning and weren't able to attend the last day. It is one of the most moving parts of the weekend as all the Four Diamond families are honored and the angels from the past year are remembered. It is a powerful way to push the dancers through the last few hours of THON. I teared up several times during the weekend just in the time we were there. At several points on Saturday, cancer kids got up to share their own survivor stories. Such powerful testimonies. Their words speak volumes for the battles being represented here.

Every time I looked around at the crowds to take it all in, I was overwhelmed that these thousands of college students all KNOW. They know that 46 kids are diagnosed with cancer everyday. They know that pediatric cancer receives almost no public funding. They know that cancer takes a serious toll on young children and their families. They know that cancer costs money. They know that these kids are true heroes. They know that research funding is our only hope for a cure. They know that the only way research will happen is with money. They know that they can make it difference just by STANDING up and believing, alongside all their friends. And that is exactly what they did.

In the end though it is worth every moment as the final total is revealed. THON 2011 raised...