THON's $10.68 million breaks record

Tables are set-up to serve dancers a meal.
Photo by Shawn Annarelli

I wish we never had to leave.

That is what I‘ll say when someone asks me about my experience at THON weekend.

The first minute

THON’s Overall Chairperson Elaine Tanella kicked off THON’s finale with a two-minute introduction before leading a 10-second countdown for dancers to stand up.

Everyone else stood and followed Tanella’s lead. When the dancers stood, the Bryce Jordan Center quaked. 

“I came to dance, dance, dance, dance,” hit the loudspeakers, and the 46-hour dance maraTHON was on.

THON's finale is two days away

I will be leaving for THON weekend in 42 hours.

I’ve got goosebumps just thinking about spending time with the kids, dancing and having one of the best experiences life can offer. Oh, and I’ve got some good news. You can still donate.

But I’ve got some bad news, too. 12,500 children will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and 2,300 children will lose their battle.

How to prepare for THON weekend

Will THON top last year's record $9.56 million effort? Photo by Shawn Inglima.

This is the most excited I’ve been in a long, long time and for good reason.

We are only five days away from THON.

This is an opportunity for students and THON families to celebrate another year of great efforts to raise funds and awareness in the fight against pediatric cancer.

Without further ado, here’s what you need to do to be ready for the best weekend of the year.

1. Bring Kleenex.

We all know THON weekend will be a lot of fun, so why would we want to bring Kleenex?

I’ve never been to THON weekend before, but I’ve talked to several THON veterans that said you should expect to cry. A lot. This weekend brings with it a mixed bottle of emotions.

How to prepare for canning

Photo submitted by Molly Thomas.

For those of us braving the wintery weather, we need to be prepared for anything during our last canning weekend.

1.  Bring the Right Attitude.

Wear a smile, and be attentive to onlookers. This appears engaging to bystanders. In order to raise donations and awareness for the fight against pediatric cancer, we should appear friendly to others.

Lauren Richards is living, breathing THON

Photo submitted by Lauren Richards.

This week I interviewed Lauren Richards to learn about her experience with THON.

Choosing Lauren to talk to was no mistake. She is Penn State New Kensington’s THON chair, and more than one person has described her as “crazy” about THON.

Hopefully her experiences will encourage others to get involved, too.

On her favorite THON moment: “This year I went to THON's Family Carnival. There was a really little kid with glasses who was scared of Andrew Holodnik, one of our THON members, because Andrew was dressed up as a knight. He was just so shy, but he had a lot of fun. I just want to help kids like him.”

Rylee Dorer's fight for life

“I am a survivor,” giggles Rylee Dorer.

Her voice has a peculiar tone, surely too mature for an eight-year old. But Rylee is just that, a mature, curiously intellectual 8-year old cancer survivor.

Two years ago Rylee attended her brother Corbin’s soccer game and snacked on Goldfish. Suddenly, she felt her chest burning, and tears crawled down her cheeks. Amanda Dorer, Rylee’s mother, had her sip some water, only to have Rylee cry desperately while her chest aches intensified.

“I began loading the kids [Rylee, Corbin and their little sister Dalaney] into the car, but Rylee was okay when we were ready to go,” Amanda said.

Despite sleeping comfortably over night, Rylee woke up the next morning with severely bloodshot eyes and abnormal breathing. The family pediatrician prescribed her amoxicillin, but two days later a chest X-ray exposed a mass the size of an egg pressing against Rylee’s trachea.

Her life took a turn sharper than her chest pains.

Pies, Penny Wars and Canning

This Wednesday, during club rush, Penn State New Kensington THON made a strong push as we get closer to THON weekend.

THON set-up its club rush tables in New Kensington’s cafeteria and took pies in the face for two straight hours. Students and faculty paid one dollar to throw a pie at THON members and two dollars to get up close and personal for a can’t miss shot at someone’s face.

Admittedly, I missed my target on my first throw, so I went back, paid two more dollars and made sure I didn’t miss New Kensington THON chair Lauren Richards a second time.