‘You just can’t beat it.’ Penn State Thon celebrates 50 years, return to the Bryce Jordan Center
Last year at 4 a.m. during the Saturday of Thon weekend, dancer Bridget Hudson was quietly coloring in her darkened kitchen, trying her best to keep up with the lagging Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon livestream and not wake up her roommates.
This year, Hudson stood at 4 a.m. Saturday performing the line dance alongside more than 650 other dancers and thousands of participants, awaiting a performance from cover band My Hero Zero to hype up dancers during the early hours of the morning referred to as the “graveyard shift.”
Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Thon is back at the Bryce Jordan Center this weekend after last year’s virtual event in a culmination of the university’s yearlong fundraising efforts to combat pediatric cancer. There are some changes due to the pandemic, including that children with active cancer treatment are not able to attend, and everyone else must adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols.
Highlights of the weekend so far include Friday night’s surprise concert from singer-songwriter Chelsea Cutler, an early morning slew of other musical performances and a 50th anniversary celebration that encouraged participants to submit items into the 2022 Thon time capsule.
While grateful for last year’s opportunity to dance, Hudson said getting another chance to be a dancer at Thon 2022 has made her dreams of ending her senior year on the vibrant Bryce Jordan Center floor come true.
“Being at Thon and seeing the children and how happy they are and the families we are impacting — you just can’t beat it,” Hudson said. “It’s the most magical part of everything we do.”
Dancers make their return
Two hours before the 46-hour dance marathon began, Caitlin Martin walked through the human tunnel formed by families and students to welcome dancers back to the Bryce Jordan Center — a symbol of Thon’s return home that brought her to tears.
“Thon is not just one place, it’s not just the BJC, it’s a collection of people — but when those people all come together and you see it with your own eyes, it just really takes your breath away,” Martin said.
For Martin, 4 p.m. Sunday marks not only the moment she can finally rest her legs at the conclusion of Thon weekend, but also the end of a paramount part of her Penn State journey.
Martin said she fell in love with Thon when she attended the event her freshman year. Five years later, Martin, a graduate student in Smeal’s management and organizational leadership program, said dancing just months before she graduates makes it even more special.
After dancing virtually last year, Martin said words couldn’t describe her excitement to spend time with her organization’s Thon child, Mina Horan, who she hasn’t seen in person in over a year.
“Just the fact that I could give her a hug today brought me to tears,” Martin said. “She means absolutely everything to me and I’m showing her that not only by standing up for 46 hours but also playing with her, dancing with her and keeping her spirits high.”
While spectators only needed to present proof of either vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test prior to enter the event, dancers and volunteers had to present both documents. Penn State senior Sam Calus took no chances in sacrificing her spot as a dancer, so in the 12 days leading up to Thon she got tested daily.
Calus danced last year for the Singing Lions, a goal she set her freshman year after the organization’s Thon child, Kirra Broadwater, lost her cancer battle at age 10. When Kirra’s parents reached out to the organization prior to their daughter’s death asking for a compilation of songs to help her enjoy her last Christmas, Calus said everywhere she went on campus that day she heard Christmas carols.
“It was the most incredible thing, and it was the first time I really felt pride in being a Penn State student and understood how big Thon is,” Calus said. “It made me want to get so invested in it and carry that spirit on with me.”
Now enjoying her second experience dancing, this time in an independent dancer couple, Calus said she is the most excited to spend the rest of the weekend with all three of her organization’s families and experience the magic of Thon with them by her side.
For the Kids
Billowing capes of children being chased by dancers. Uncontrollable laughter of kids hoisted onto the shoulders of students. Emotional reunions between volunteers and their Thon families after two years.
The scenes of the Bryce Jordan Center’s floor this weekend reminded participants of what — or who — they Thon for.
Dressed in an Elsa costume and superhero mask, six-year-old Kennedy Wilson is participating in her third Thon alongside her mother, father and 15-year-old sister as well as their Thon organization, Penn State New Kensington.
Kennedy became a Four Diamonds child in March 2019 after an MRI revealed that the 3-year-old had a brain tumor. After being transferred to Hershey Medical Center, Kennedy endured an hourlong brain surgery, three cycles of inpatient chemotherapy and stem cell treatment. She was declared cancer-free and discharged on July 24. The next day, she turned four.
When a social worker introduced her mother, Kimberly Wilson, to the Four Diamonds Fund, Kimberly said it struck her just how expensive her daughter’s treatment would cost — a thought that hadn’t crossed her mind as she was just focused on her daughter surviving.
Because of the Four Diamonds Fund, the Wilsons — along with more than 4,000 other families — haven’t had to pay a single medical bill for their child’s cancer treatment.
After participating over Zoom last year, Kennedy was most looking forward to participating in the fashion show, while her mother said she was hoping to reunite with the staff — or, as she called them, “angels on Earth” — from Hershey Medical Center.
“Without Thon, things for my family would have been very different,” Kimberly Wilson said. “We can’t change Kennedy’s treatment and what she went through but through Four Diamonds we can help other children by funding research for less harsh treatments.”
Since Thon’s inception in 1973, the philanthropy has raised more than $190 million for the Four Diamonds Fund, excluding funds raised this year. The money goes toward providing medical treatment, research and support for families impacted by childhood cancer.
The event is being streamed live and can be viewed at thon.org/livestream.
This story was originally published February 19, 2022 at 5:03 PM.
