Everything that happened at Dance Marathon 2016

7-8pm: “I should have packed tissues in my fanny pack”

In the opening ceremonies they read a list of names of the children dancing in our hearts – those who didn’t overcome their cancer. A candle at the back of the IMU burnt for the full 24 hours, overlooking the crowd and three quilts with the names of the children who have passed.

8-9pm: “It’s like a PG Union”

Theta takes Dance Marathon! My sorority raised over $87,0000 FTK!

9-10pm: “This is all symbolic of so much more”

Tracy Koranada (who gave this quote) lost her son to cancer before he ever got to come to Dance Marathon, but this was her family’s 17th year. Not only was her story inspiring, but when I thanked her for her cooperation with DM and this article she said: “You guys are the amazing ones. Thank YOU!”

I can not say enough about the kindness in these people’s hearts.

10-11pm: “He wears wedges well”

10 o’clock: the man pageant. The contestants were all moral captains and definitely inspired the audience.

11-12am: “Will they let me leave the IMU to get DP Dough from the delivery boy?”

She (Jen Mora) had him come to the back door.

12-1am: “Is squatting cheating? Is wall twerking cheating?”

EB Blodgett voiced what all of us were staring to realize…it hurt.

1-2:am: “I never knew it until now but I want my husband to sing a cappella on the side”

Street Corner Symphony gave us the energy we need, and made sounds I did not think could come from a human.

2-3am: “16 and a half hours left”

16. And a half. Hours.

3-4am: “I just want to lay down and have puppies lick my face until I die”

But we stayed on our feet.

4-5am: “I got a second wind, now I’ll just need a third and a fourth”

Herky always pumped up the crowd (and was very cooperative with taking selfies).

5-6am: “We are so lucky”

McKinsey Gartner poses with Gianna, who is five years cancer free.

Hearing from families of survivors who they are lucky is such a great way to remember how lucky we were as dancers to be able to dance for 24 hours straight – even when we felt like giving up.

6-7am: “It takes the pressure off of your feet”

Cole Johnson shows off some pain relieving techniques.

7-8am: “GOOD MORNING!”

I wouldn’t have realized that it was morning if Colton, a DM kiddo who had his right eye removed in the process of beating his cancer, hadn’t reminded everyone!

The Tab’s own Elise Goodvin and many others greeted the new day by shaving or cutting their hair! (Elise is second from the right, and my own Moral Captain Adviser, Joseline Tigges, is left of her)

8-9am: “We’re half way there…living on a prayer”

Joy and pain: two words that sum up so much of DM. At halfway I only had 12 more hours of dancing, but only had 12 more hours of inspiration and fun. There was so much joy for the kids, so much pain associated with cancer.

Joy in singing a long to “WHOA WE’RE HALF WAY THERE”, so much pain thinking about the reality of kids who are “living on a prayer.”

9-10am: “I’m worried that you think I’m joking about the elevator”

She wasn’t.

10-11am: “You could definitely tell around the half way point that it was getting stinky in there”

It was time for an outfit change.

11-12pm: “I don’t know what just happened but I know that it was important”

I don’t actually have a picture for when I had to go cry in the bathroom reading the story of a child who lost his life to cancer…but I do have this mirror selfie from when Elise still had green glowing hair!

12-1pm: “I need to dance man I got too tired and sad.”

DANCING HEALS! HERKY KNOWS!

1-2pm: “Can you tell them what type of leukemia? Can you say that big word?”

Some of these kids were too young to remember their cancer story. Some were just old enough to make the word “leukemia” sound adorable.

2-3pm: “What you’re doing here…this is how you change the world”

Yes. This is how you change the world. (This quote is actually from the father in the picture above)

3-4pm: “Please welcome our graduating class of 2016”

Every year, kids who have been cancer free for five years get their own graduation ceremony – as five years is a huge milestone signifying that individual’s cancer is most likely not coming back.

4-5pm: “If we keep talking I kind of forget about my legs”

We were too delusional to realize that the photo booth was still taking pictures, yet somehow it captured us STILL SMILING!

5-6pm: “FTK”

I have never heard a chant catch on as quickly and intensely as “FTK” during power hour. Maybe because the only way we could make ourselves yell and jump and DANCE was by picturing all the kids who were smiling and jumping right with us.

I’d heard so many kids say that their favorite part of DM was power hour, and there was no way I was going to let them down.

6-7pm: “We heard that the University of Iowa had the best Dance Marathon in the country, and after our first year here we can say that it’s true”

Photo by Abigail Elceser – inspiration by kids and families affected by cancer – fundraising by beautiful souls across the world. This quote is from Craig Shroeder, whose son Austin “Flash” Shroeder passed away in April 2015. His words were nothing short of miraculous, as was Austin’s story. All I have to say as far as the quote above is RT, Craig. RT.