dreaming forward

THON always puts things in perspective for me. after 46 hours of thinking about the families' tragedies, struggles, heartbreaks, and miracles, i can't help feeling like my life is easy and blessed. i'm so thankful that my health problems were not cancer or anything truly serious, and that my family has never experienced anything so hard or troubling. i'm also thankful for the ability to go to bed every night not wondering if tomorrow will be too hard to get through.

but i admire the spirit, persistence, and love that these little kids have for the beauty of the world. they appreciate blowing bubbles and playing with water guns, anything to take their mind off their pain. they go through each day loving every minute, while their parents hold their breath and thank god for each passing day. 

thon reminds us all that the four diamonds (courage, honor, wisdom, and strength) plus a little bit of love, hope, and family will get us through anything.

and this weekend, penn staters and generous people from the whole world came together to give 46 hours and $7.49 million to make sure that every person touched by childhood cancer gets the fighting chance to dream forward. thon 2009. for the kids.

view the rest of my photos here:

THON 2009 * Dream Forward