What THON Means to Me.
I shared the following note on Facebook almost exactly a year ago. Since THON this past weekend, I’ve been trying to put into words how I feel, and I’m still working on it. For now, though I wanted to share this, because after reading it, I’ve realized that I still feel the same way. In general, I’m not one of those pour-out-your-feelings-in-a-Facebook-note type of people, but after a weekend like this one, I felt the need to. So here goes. This past weekend I attended my 18th THON at Penn State University in State College. That’s crazy to even think about. 18 years?!?!?! It doesn’t even seem possible; I haven’t even celebrated my 18th birthday yet. Throughout my life, many things have changed. I’ve moved from towns, schools, and houses, shifted friend groups, discovered new interests, and undergone complete personality changes. But through all that, the one constant has been THON. It never mattered whether I was having a bad day, or week, or year when I was at THON, because all that mattered was the people there, the family that I’ve come to know over the past 18 years of my life. I could see how someone could think I wouldn’t appreciate THON as much as the average attendee from Hershey; after all, most of them are there because either a family member or they themselves suffer from cancer. I’m just a doctor’s daughter, never really personally affected by cancer. Even so, I now feel as though I have been. The friendships I’ve formed over the years are truly amazing… some of these people I only see once a year, but each year when THON rolls around again, we fall right back in to the rhythm of things as though we had just seen each other yesterday. It’s so hard to find the right words to describe the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced, and maybe that’s because there are no right words. I don’t think it’s possible to truly understand THON until you’ve experienced it, and when you do experience it, you’ll never forget that experience. I’ve never laughed so hard, cried so hard, had so much fun, gone through so much pain, or felt as amazing as I have at THON. All of my best memories are linked THON, all of my strongest emotions are linked with THON, all of the best things about me are linked with THON. It has completely changed me, and for the better; what was once a place where I had fun and was completely ridiculous has become a place where I’m inspired to be a better person and to make a difference (and still be completely ridiculous). THON has given me hope and made me realize where I want to be in the future and what I want to do with my life. It has shown me what it means to be strong and what it means to love. This year I was incredibly inspired by the speakers at Family Hour at THON… Family Hour is by far the most emotional part of THON, and one of my favorite parts each year. Several families share their stories, and two videos are shown; the “Where are They Now” video gives a brief synopsis of the accomplishments of Four Diamonds success stories, while the “Celebration of Life” video remembers those who lost their battle with cancer. Anyways, I was inspired by all of the speakers at Family Hour this year; the father of a Four Diamonds child, the family of a former Four Diamonds child, a Four Diamonds Child himself, and the sister of a former Four Diamonds child. I honestly can’t get over how truly moving each and every one of the speeches was. The family of a former Four Diamonds child spoke of how they had often been asked why they continue to come to THON ever year even twelve years after the death of their daughter. They said that their response to that question remains the same: We want to help other families, because we know exactly what they’re going through. They also shared that THON was the one place their daughter loved most, and when they are at THON, they feel as though she is there with them. I can’t imagine how much strength it must take for them to return every year to a place filled with reminders of the terrible disease that took their daughter from them… but I guess along with the reminders of cancer, come the reminders of love, and hope, faith in others. The Four Diamonds child that spoke at THON was just as inspiring as the family, and his speech was perhaps the most relatable because of the fact that he, like me, is a senior in high school. It was beyond inspiring that through all of the ordeals he has had to face in the past year, he continues, it seems, to be the eternal optimist. I’m honestly not sure that I’m that optimistic now, and I haven’t faced near as many obstacles as he has. I find it amazing that even though he’s been through so much, he doesn’t let his cancer define him or keep him from trying his hardest. The speech that most affected me, however, was that of the sister of a former Four Diamonds child. She has faced the same hardships as the other speakers, but the thing that stood out about her story was the fact that she lost not one, but two important people in her life to cancer within the same year. Her younger brother passed away just 6 weeks before she was to dance for him in THON as a freshman, and having to dance without him by her side must have been absolutely heartbreaking. But not as heartbreaking as dancing in her second THON as a sophomore minus a brother and a close friend… the fact that she managed to stay strong enough to continue helping save lives is absolutely amazing, and to me makes her someone to look up to. I can’t even imagine the strength she must have, and it’s really something that inspires me a lot. People like the ones who spoke at family hour are the reason I THON. I THON for family, for faith, hope, strength, courage, honesty, wisdom, and love. But most of all, I THON for the kids. And so, (at the risk of turning this into some sort of advertisement) I’d like to ask anyone reading this to please consider donating to THON at thon.org, even if you are unable to attend. You can’t even begin to imagine the difference you are making in the lives of countless children, not to mention their friends and families. FTK
