This year I had the pleasure of experiencing a couple hours at my first THON. Having a friend be a THON child, I was excited to see what went down during this 46-hour dance maraTHON. I got the privilege of accompanying my roommate in going to PSU to meet her twin sister who took us to THON. Going in I was just expecting to dance a lot and that's it. There was mounds of dancing, dabbing, and screaming "What are those?" But in the midst of all the fun and dancing there was a mission, a mission that taught me many remarkable things.

1. Life is Precious

The meaning behind the 46 hours that dancers are on their feet is because everyday 46 children are diagnosed with cancer and every day 7 of those children will die. If that doesn't put how precious life is in perspective I don't know what does. Life is so precious never take anything for granted, because you never know when your life will change.

2. Anyone can make a difference

You may have heard of mini-THONs, dozens of people participate in a miniature version of Penn State's THON every year. During THON the importance of mini-THONs and other fundraisers are expressed in ways that make you realize that you have the power to make a difference. Simple things such as fundraisers and the like can help a family in so many ways. We have the power to change the world, and make a difference in anything we set our minds to. THON taught me that the little things go a long way.

3. Line dancing is amazing

Every hour when the line dance came on, It was the most excited I've ever been to dance with hundreds of other people that I didn't really know. Not to mention that I was singing the lyrics for weeks afterwards, and dancing to the line dance over the live webcast for the rest of the weekend.

4. Dabbing with an arena filled with people is extremely satisfying

Seriously, I've never felt so satisfied to be dabbing before in my life, especially knowing that our dabbing was making a difference in the lives of the families of children fighting cancer. Dabbing our way to a cure never felt so good.

5. Family is everything

If there is anything to take away from THON's mission it is family. The THON families are the reason behind students dancing on their feet for 46 hours. At a young age we are taught that family is an important aspect of our lives. Watching the families that THON helps has made me forever grateful for the family in my life. Even as an outside student I felt as though I was apart of a family community for the short eight hours that I was there. Family is everything, they are the ones that stand by you forever, they don't have to be blood but having a family is a blessing.

6. Strength is more than your physical body

Although THON is solely about children fighting cancer it can also teach anyone fighting any illness that strength is so much more than your physical appearance. Everyday kids with cancer undergo high doses of chemo that tear apart their physical bodies, however they remain to strong enough to fight for their life. THON shows that even though your physical self can be tired, strength is so much more. Strength is believing when all your hope has run out, it's getting back up after every fall, it's so much more than how much you can physically endure, it's so much more than how much weight you can pull.

7. Hope is real

I never witnessed as much hope as I did in the BJC. There are thousands of families fighting cancer and there are so many lives that this illness has taken. Everybody that participated in THON has a reason. If nobody had hope there wouldn't be a THON. If nobody had hope, this world would be so much darker than it is, there is a feeling of lightness at THON and I solely believe that THON has renewed a hope in me.

8. There is power in numbers

When you get a whole group of people together that want to make a difference never underestimate their ability to do just that. The amount of people in the arena that are determined to find a cure is overwhelming. The power in the number of these people has made all the difference for the families.

9. It is about so much more than the amount of money

People rejoice in the amount of money raised for childhood cancer each year at THON, however I learned that it isn't all about the amount of money raised. It's all for the kids it's all about changing the lives of these kids and their families and making a difference in their lives. The money helps but the difference that is made is remembered long after the amount of money is announced.

10. It is possible to believe beyond boundaries

Life has so many boundaries that keep people from doing amazing things. After watching a friend of mine and her family battle cancer three times and realize how much THON has helped them believe beyond the boundaries that cancer has given them, it has helped me believe beyond the boundaries in my life. THON is proof that anyone can believe beyond the boundaries in life. That's something I will never forget.

As an outside student experiencing THON for the first time, there isn't really words for describing the feeling that is in the Bryce Jordan Center during THON. Being in that environment gave me so much hope that I will never forget the strength, wisdom, honesty, and courage that I left with that night. I can only imagine what the THON families felt that night. One day we will dance in celebration until then we will dance for a cure.

This article was written in honor of a friend fighting cancer in my hometown. Fight like Hill always.