Another year for the kids, for a cure and for hope: THON 2008
BY SARAR SAFAIEE
THON CHAIR
SVSSO33@PSU.EDU
Childhood cancer is the number
one killer of children, more than
asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes,
and pediatric AIDS combined. In
the. United States about 10,400
children are diagnosed with
cancer each year, according to the
National Cancer Inst
year alone about 1/
will die from cancer.
common form of chi.
cancers are leukemic
brain tumors.
Thanks to research
advances
treatment have bee
made, and today, ui
75 percent of chii
cancer will be curs
this process is thy
aggressive Ateatmc
children have lower survival
rates. Many treatments include
several rounds of chemotherapy,
tumor removah.radiation therapy,
bone-marrow-transplantation
and various clinical procedures.
Yet, some forms of childhood
cancers have proven so resistant
to treatment, and continuous
research needs to be done in order
MORE THAN BOOKS
*eighing
If so, you are not alone.
In fact, one out of four young adults will experi
ence a depressive episode by age 24, and nearly
half of all college students report feeling so
depressed at some point in time that they have
trouble functioning
(www.Mentalhealthscreening.org).
If you have been feeling sad, anxious or over
whelmed, please attend DEPRESSION SCREENING
DAY on TUESDAY, 10/21/08, (11am-2pm) in the
GALLERY LOUNGE (W-107 Olmsted).
Take care of yourself by taking a few moments to
complete art anonymous mental health self
assessment. [lf you are interested, but unable to
attend, please drop by the Student Assistance
Center, W-117 Olmsted (948-6025)]
to one day find a cure
In 1972 Charles and Irma
Millard e
Four Di
after
of thei
Christo
who
diagn
with cam
the age
Four Di
is nam,
that Christopher Millard
wrote shortly before he lost his
YOU DOWN?
Fl•maTmwnm
battle at the age of 14. In Chris'
story, a knight must find the four
diamonds of Courage, Wisdom,
`ltrength in order
from captivity
•vil sorceress.
(*our diamonds
symbolic of
the traits Chris
believed
Dance Marathon (THONTM), the
largest student-run philanthropy
in the nation, though not at that
time. Couples would compete
for 48 straight hours of dancing,
no stopping. Eventually, THON
loosened the rules to become
what it is today. Though there is
no longer the mandatory dancing
part, there is still no sitting or
sleeping for the dancer couples.
With an outpour of support, and
'ncrease in student population,
has moved from the Rec.
the Bryce Jordan Center in
to accommodate the mass.
17, Penn State raised $5.2
lion dollars, and in 2008,
raised $6.6 million. Each
year, THON has raised
more and more in order to
help those in need.
funds donated to The Four
rnds Fund help families
ldren with cancer. The
tot only helps with cancer
h, but helps to offset
unforeseen costs. Many times,
health insurance does not pay
for full coverage of treatments,
or things that may disrupt the
welfare of the child, such as car
repairs, home payments and
household utilities.
necessary
overcome
)77, The Four
;Fund became
iary of the
'C/Panhellenic
During the last four hours
of THON, when your feet are
swollen and painful, your eyes
Oct. 8 2008
are drooping shut, and you have
almost lost hope, the families are
there to help you. Family Hour,
as it is called, is when all of the
Four Diamonds families come
to the dance floor and tell their
stories. Children who have been
cured because of THON's help,
or who are currently undergoing
treatment, tell their stories of how
THON, and Penn State has saved
their lives.
So why THON? THON for the
kids, THON for a cure, THON for
hope.
Assistant Editor Marin Alice ,
also THON Co-chair, contributed
to this article.
Sttiliknlts hitoregal
Istlackiiikg to fund-,
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tvitbietkin 'PEON XlO9
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