maraTHON

“Sometimes you have to go through things and not around them…”

In the beginning of the fall semester, I went to lunch and the involvement fair with Sarah. She already had it in her mind that she wanted to join Ohana, so she kept an eye out for it. Ohana is one of the top three Special Interest Organizations for the Penn State IFC Panhellenic Dance Marathon. When we approached the table, I didn’t know much about them or even THON, but they were so welcoming. They spoke to us for a minute and I joined and got involved.

Fast forward a semester and some change.

It’s finally February 19, the day many Penn State students look forward to. It was finally THON.

When I woke up, I just wanted the day to fast forward until 6pm. But, it didn’t. It went very slowly. I went to my classes, got my outfit out, waited, and waited some more. It was finally 5 and I went to dinner with my friend, Brandon. After dinner we joined the line to enter the BJC. To our surprise the line moved pretty fast and we were in before we knew it.

So, when Brandon and I got to THON we found Ohana in the stands and enjoyed everyone’s company while we danced in our bright orange. This being my first THON, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I knew there would be lots of colors, people, and excitement but my assumptions and expectations were surpassed. Getting to actually see all the families that Ohana contributed to was amazing. But to see all the families that Penn State helped as a whole was beautiful and breathtaking.

I didn’t stay at THON the whole time, maybe a good 12 hours. S/O to everyone that stayed longer to me, which is a lot of people, lol. Next year, I hope to join a committee or something similar because the more involved I am, the more I want to stay.

Being involved in THON has opened my eyes in many different ways. The most important lesson that I learned would be to always find happiness. The kids and their families go through so much but you’ll always find them with a smile. It proves that even when life gets tough you have to keep your head high and think positive. Ohana is FTG, FTW, & FTD. For the Goods, for the Wilsons, and for the Dawsons. To have the opportunity to hear their stories was also eye opening. So many more things go on than what we imagine.

From the overall experience of THON from bonding as an organization to learning about the families to actually standing, there was so much to gather.

Sadly, cancer is still a thing and even though millions of dollars’ are raised, many people are still left heartbroken and devastated. But as long as I am a student here, I will be involved in Penn State’s THON and keep dancing until there is a cure. 

Thanks for reading. :)