Dance Marathon 19: Another Year, Another Miracle.

$1,529,650.19!!!!
FOR THE KIDS!!!!


Dance Marathon is a truly inspiring, amazing, incredible and simply remarkable organization. Each year it grows bigger and gets better. This past year I have had the wonderful privilege of working at the U of I Children's Hospital as a Child Life Assistant so I have gotten to meet several of the newly diagnosed patients and families as they start their journey to battle childhood cancer and join the Dance Marathon family. It is not a journey any family and child should ever have to join but I am grateful they have DM and that I am able to be there to help support all of them and form relationships with them and be there through it all. Being reunited with my closest friends that I have met over the past six years through DM and seeing some of the bravest, strongest and most inspiring kids (and their families!) made my heart so, so happy. The atmosphere of DM gave me chills and a smile I couldn't wipe off my face. Hearing the list of names of those children who have earned their angel wings brought tears to my eyes and a sadness in my heart that I can't explain. And it made me remember why we were there and do what we do and why each year this beautiful organization gets bigger and bigger. We have to keep fighting the good fight. Day in and day out. For those kids who are still fighting. For those kids who will have to start fighting tomorrow. And for those kids who won their fight and are dancing for life in our hearts.
Make a difference and make a miracle.
Remember, it is all FOR THE KIDS.

Friday Funnies - 2.1.13

It's Friday, what what?!! And it is DM Friday at that! And a Cross Family reunion, whoop whoop! I have an internship on Monday morning at Comer Children's Hospital so we are making a big round trip home from Madison with a pit stop in Chicago and then next Wednesday, I have a phone interview with a hospital in Texas! Less than two weeks until the official offer day so I need some good laughs and family/friend time to relieve some stress and anxiety about all of that! So let's get laughing! Dance Marathon is all For The Kids so this week's Friday Funnies is dedicated to some silly (and inspiring!) kids. Hope you all have a fantastic weekend and one that is full of love and laughter!

image via Google
milk wasted!

"We can cry about it...or we can dance about it!"

I know lots of kids who are fighting cancer...LIKE A BOSS!

Pass this video on to anyone who needs some encouragement, a smile or a laugh!

And start making the world a better place and remember to dance!

fast forward.

I am hoping that this is a quick week and I wish that we could fast forward to Friday!!! This weekend is Dance Marathon and my mom is visiting from Texas and is up in Wisconsin at my brother's so we are taking a road trip on Saturday to see everyone! I can't wait to see all of our closest friends on Friday night at DM and then be reunited with my family on Saturday for the weekend! There's nothing more than an exciting and fun-filled weekend ahead and then realizing it is still Monday....here's to hoping the week flies by!

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month...

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and today is the last day of the month. What have YOU done to make a difference in the life of child with cancer or for a family with a child battling this nasty monster? Remember, my brave little friend Coleman who has earned his angel wings once said, "an act of kindness, big or small, is the greatest gift of all." Once the clock strikes midnight at the end of the month, September will be over. But the fight to cure childhood cancer won't be. And we need to start facing the facts and amp up the funding so that sufficient research can be getting done. For instance on average, 36 kids are diagnosed with cancer EVERY DAY in the United States. That means, that 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer and the average high school has two students who are current or former cancer patients. Not only this but cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children over the age of 1 even with cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, AIDS, asthma and juvenile diabetes combined. Childhood cancer cannot be prevented. It spares no ethic group, socioeconomic class or geographic region. It can happen anywhere, anytime and to any child. Scary thought?? Yes. Wish you could do something about it, yes? Then by all means, DO SOMETHING!!! Donate your time by volunteering at a children's hospital, Ronald McDonald House, or a sibling/parent support group. Donate money in any amount to a research based or hospital based credible source (always, always know where your money is going--it's sad how many people try to make a buck out of people trying to do something good.) Make hats or blankets for the children in the hospital. Donate gift cards to general places such as Target, Walmart or Visa cards, gas cards and fast food cards for families in the hospitals to use. Spread the word. Advocate for these kids and their families! 

Many people look at me with a sad look when I tell them what I'm going to school for and the professional field I have picked to work in. They think, "isn't that so sad? how can you stand that? what a depressing job..." Yes there are sad days and yes, there are days that I can't stand because it is so unfair seeing cancer strike such innocent kids. But otherwise, I don't think of it as a depressing, downer of a job. Every day I get to the hospital, I find hope. The halls are filled with laughter and I'm always greeted with hugs and smiles. The kids I meet have the cards stacked against them every day and they still wake up more optimistic than even the most well off people I know. My heart hurts for them all more than they would ever know but because of their spirits, they make my job worth every minute. I cherish all of my time that I get to spend with them. Every day I am inspired by the kids and families I meet to do more with my life, try harder, be a better person, don't give up on myself, not to stress over the little things, and to let go of my worries. The toughest lesson I've learned though from too many of these kids is to love wholeheartedly every minute of the day because we never know when our last minute will be. The fight doesn't end because the month of September is ending. And thanks to mine and Jordan's amazing family and friends, we were able to make a $350 donation to Dance Marathon, the student organization at Iowa that raises money to support kids treated for cancer at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital! We raised this money during our Dollar Dance at our wedding reception and honestly, that is one of our favorite decisions we made about our wedding! We are grateful for the money we received and are honored to be donating it For The Kids. This organization is very near and dear to our hearts as this is where we met each other, both of our closest friends and it led us to our career paths. 

This is why we fight for the cure and why we keep dancing. For sweet kiddos and precious babies like Jasmine. For the kiddos who have earned their angel wings. For the kiddos who have fought the good fight and won. And for the kiddos who put their gloves on day after day and fight back. Make a difference for them. Be the miracle. For The Kids, always and forever.

http://dancemarathon.uiowa.edu/
Donate and get involved!
Creating Tomorrow By Dancing Today!

Dance Marathon does it again!

F T K

 FOR THE KIDS!!!!

Dance Marathon was this past weekend here in Iowa City. And for those of you who don't know what DM is or have never experienced it for yourself, you are truly truly missing out on something amazing. You're missing out on seeing miracles happen right in front of your eyes. 

What a beautiful sight that is!!!!

 Yes, you ARE reading that correctly. That tote board total says $1,368,147.18....as in 1.3 MILLION DOLLARS RAISED TO HELP THESE KIDS AND FAMILIES WHO ARE BATTLING CANCER!!!! Words can't even express how proud I am to have returned this year for my first time as Alumni and see all of the hard work that my friends and students put into DM this year. It is just awe-inspiring and makes my heart so happy. This organization is just so incredible. It is ran entirely by students who dominate and I can call them all my family. This organization also isn't just about the 24 hours that we spend on our feet, awake, dancing, having no caffeine and acting crazy. It's about what we do the other 365 days of the year. Cancer doesn't quit and either do we. I never would have imagined that signing up to be a spirit dancer and to volunteer at DM13 six years ago that my life would change as much as it has thanks to DM. Dance Marathon holds a near and dear place in my heart and will always be so special to me. Through DM, that is where I met my future husband J Man and all of my closest friends and some past roommates. I have also been led down a new career path that is so amazing and everyday I spend at the hospital, it is so rewarding. 

But most importantly, I can now say that I know the bravest and strongest kiddos and families out there. Some of these kids haven't even seen their 2nd birthday yet and they've already gone through round after round of chemo and radiation. Some of these kids won't ever get the chance to even see their 10th birthday. Some of these kids have had long grueling battles against their cancer and continue to come up on top and fighting. While others, the battle got to be too hard and they earned their angel wings. Each of these kids are inspiring, amazing, incredible, hilarious, sweet, wise beyond their years and yearning to be just like any normal kid. After all of the families I have gotten to know, I honestly can't ever imagine being in their shoes. Can you imagine being told that your child has cancer? Could you imagine having to explain to your child why they can't go back to school to see their friends or home to see their puppy? How about trying to explain what cancer is to them and why they have to lose half of their leg?? Or after the fight was over, could you imagine having to plan your 6 year old's funeral? The families I know have had to answer those questions for their own child. It sucks and it is absolutely awful. And it isn't fair. 

But at least because of DM, we can make it easier. They always thank us students after the Big Event for everything we've done throughout the year and raising the money for the hospital for new equipment, parking passes, food vouchers, sibling support kits, pharmacy co-pays, and the list goes on and on. And from the very bottom of my heart along with everyone else I know who is in DM, they're all welcome. Really, raising money and playing with them in the hospital is the least we could do to help them out! But what they don't know is that we need to thank them as well. Because of these kiddos, my life has been changed for the better. They inspire me every day and have given me a sense of faith and courage when things don't always seem to go my way. They make me want to be a better person each day and have taught me how to be a kid again. Life is too short to have regrets and take things for granted and that's a lesson these families as a whole have also taught me. Be a kid again and be messy. Dance to songs and make up the words as you go along. Inspire others and be a better person every day. Spend quality time with family and friends. And always tell those who you love how much they mean to you. Have you told someone lately that you love them? Do it now. Be the difference. Make miracles.