THON was officially over. All 46 had been completed and all of our hard work had been celebrated. It was a bittersweet moment. I was sad to have what made my freshmen year so special end, but I was excited for some sleep. After I got back to my dorm I got myself my first meal of the weekend, once I took my last bite I was asleep on my bed. I don’t remember falling asleep, I didn’t hear my roommate come in, and I had left all of the lights on. But Monday morning, I rolled out of bed, after already sleeping through my first class, and I smiled. I smiled because I had just experienced the best weekend of my life.

I’ve had many friends who aren’t involved in THON question why the dance marathon. Why not just have a reveal?What many people fail to realize is what the dance marathon itself stands for. It’s all an analogy for what a child goes through when fighting cancer. The BJC is the hospital, the DR captains are the doctors, and the DRCM’s are the nurses. The visitors on the floor are the friends and family who visit a child during treatment. The finance committee are the Four Diamonds workers who ensure that every bill is paid. The special guests are the music therapists. The pain that they feel in their feet, back, and legs is the pain a child feels while in treatment. The exhaustion of being up for 46 hours symbolized the exhaustion a child feels after chemo and other treatments. The massage, EMS, and athletic training stations are the treatments a child gets that helps them to feel better. And when the dancers finally got to sit down, and the total is revealed, it symbolized a child ringing the bell for being cancer free, which is the best feeling.

The dancers were able to get a glimpse what the pain and struggle a child who is fighting cancer goes through. Sadly, this is a fight that everyone with cancer must fight. They have to deal with the pain, the exhaustion, the surgeries, the treatments, and living in a hospital. Cancer is a terrible disease that has affected many families, including my own. I am proud of the work that each and every THON volunteer did FTK. So, waking up on the Monday morning after THON I realized that my goal is to dance my junior year. I want to dance for my THON families, any family affected by cancer, and for my grandfather, who passed away this year from cancer. I am excited to see where my THON journey will take me.