Penn State's THON once again brings dancers together for a good cause
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (KDKA) - This weekend is THON weekend at Penn State University.
It's the annual 46-hour dance marathon that benefits Four Diamonds and Penn State Children's Hospital.
More than 700 dancers are participating this year.
A year's-worth of preparations and fundraising has all led up to this. THON 2023 has kicked off at the Bryce Jordan Center.
"I THON because I think it's important to make an impact in a positive way, and THON is just a great way of doing that," dancer Braden Dyreson said.
Some have waited their whole lives to dance.
"This is something I've dreamed of doing since I was a kid, as I grew up in this area. So, it's really cool to see it come to life now," Allison Prendergast added. "I'm not doing it for me, but we're doing it for our THON families."
And it's all for one cause.
Since its start in 1973, THON has raised more than $200 million for families affected by pediatric cancer, including the Fleagles.
"It was germinoma, which means I had cancer, which was good news. We were so happy. Which sounds kind of weird and crazy, but if it wouldn't have been treatable, there would have been an extremely risky surgery to remove the mass, and that would've been a 50% chance of me waking up," Braden Fleagle said.
Braden has been in remission since August 2021, and this year will experience THON for the first time with his family.
"Being with these college students that have done so much for Braden and families, it's overwhelming to see what kids who have never met all of these cancer patients and families just to be with them and here supporting them means the world," Braden's mother, Allison Fleagle said.
The dancers will be on the floor for 46 hours, ending on Sunday at 4:00 p.m.
