“One day one night, one goal one fight”, is a phrase heard throughout the 24 hours of the “Big Event”. It means exactly what it says and it is something that helped me make it through the entirety of the event.
At the University of Iowa, Dance Marathon starts in a big ballroom with thousands of people. The music is blaring and everyone is dancing nonstop. The kids are dancing right along with you, and every hour families tell their story of how cancer has touched their lives. The room is filled with so many emotions and it is the most powerful feeling I have ever felt.
We are there for 24 hours straight—no sitting, no sleeping, and no caffeine—it’s extremely hard, but it’s all worth it in the end.
The primary goal is to raise additional money for children with cancer and to educate the community about the struggles and triumphs of these little warriors.
The kids are what get me through the 24 hours, because dancing for 24 hours is painful, but that pain is nothing compared to what these little warriors feel when they have cancer, and that is why I do it—For The Kids.
Dance Marathon provides emotional and financial support for patients and their families treated at University of Iowa Children’s Hospital. The money raised, goes towards research, families, and hospital expenses. Last year, we raised over $1.2 million.
The families, the stars of the Big Event, are introduced. They walk into the ballroom, with a red carpet just for them, and are brought onto the stage as their name is called. An announcer explains how many years they have attended dance marathon and some background on their story. The entire room is always filled with cheers and screams.
As the final name is called, we are asked to recognize the families still standing on the stage. We were told that these families had lost their child in their fight against cancer. We were asked to look to the back of the ballroom, at the quilt hanging from the balcony and the lit candle. They both represent the children that have died in their battle. Each child’s name was read aloud to the crowd and there was not a dry eye in the building.
The directors speaking asked us to remember these kids when we got tired, because we would and to remember them when our feet hurt, because they would, and to remember them when we wanted to quit, but we wouldn’t quit. “Cancer doesn’t quit and we won’t either!”—This statement sent the entire room in to shouting and tears. “We won’t quit!” was chanted which led in to a mighty “FTK!”
This moment was one of the most powerful and it helped me make it through the 24 hours. I remember the kids that have suffered and lost their battle. When my feet hurt, when I got tired, and when the tiniest thought of wanting to quit came to mind, I knew I had to do it for them.
The rest of the 24 hours are filled with getting to know the amazing families, playing with the kiddos, joy, sadness, laughing, tears, loud music and lots of dancing.
You feel so emotional during the 24 hours. You go from extremely happy and excited to feeling horrible for these families. You wish you could do anything to protect them and save them, but you feel helpless.
The last hour, Power Hour, is the most inspirational time of the Big Event. There is still loud music, screaming, and dancing, but the level of emotions is so much higher than before.
I didn’t stop jumping or yelling the entire time. The kids kept running through my mind and I knew I was doing it all for them—I couldn’t quit.
You know that this is the last hour you have to make a difference, so you do everything you can.
Dance Marathon has truly impacted my life in a way that some will never understand.
Yes, I felt achy and exhausted afterwards, but it is nothing compared to what these kids go through. One day of pain is what we feel, but these kids go through months of pain—it can’t be compared.
Over 2300 dancers participated in Dance Marathon 18 and we raised $1,369,147.18. This money helps pay for cancer research, kids at the university hospitals, family expense, and so much more. We remind these families that there really is a life outside of cancer.
“When cancer is cured we’ll dance for joy, until then we dance for life.”
If you are interested in donating to Dance Marathon, visit the website and make a donation today. Even the smallest amount will help towards supporting the children’s oncology unit at the University of Iowa hospitals. According to the website, Dance Marathon has raised over $11.2 million dollars for children being treated with cancer.