Anger over THON’s new family pass system

Yesterday, the news broke that THON is reducing and limiting the number of Four Diamonds families permitted on the floor for the finale of THON weekend. THON released a document framing the new rules and the system by which families will be categorized and then entered into a lottery system. Categorization will be based off the state of treatment as of January 6, 2017. The first group is considered as Active Treatment, being made up of kids going through treatment as of that date and families new to THON for 2017 and they will be given one pass per immediate family member. The second group – “Bereaved Families” – which is made up of bereaved Four Diamonds families will receive up to three passes for the final hour. The third group consists of families not undergoing treatment as of January 6, 2017 and will be entered into a lottery system with other off-treatment families to win three passes for their family. This lottery’s amount of available passes will be contingent upon how many passes are given to the first two groups.

This sparked a large debate hashed out between students and families on Facebook, voicing their reactions to the news. Reactions are varying from Four Diamonds families claiming that due to this news, 2016 was their last THON to people proposing moving THON to Beaver Stadium to just completely overrule the problem of capacity. Some students elected to play devil’s advocate, defending THON and stating that it was something that had to happen eventually – there simply isn’t enough floor space to accommodate the number of people on the floor during the Final Four.

However, the a lot of reactions seem to be in protest. Many students declared that it was unfair for families and some agreed that committee members are the ones who should have limited floor access on Sunday due to their apparent lack of purpose on the floor and reported abuse of committee member status to sneak onto the floor.

Edward Colligon, a fifth year Architectural Engineering student, said, “While obviously safety is of the utmost importance, there are ways to make space on the floor without taking away from the families…for example, there are hundreds of committee members on the floor during the final four. While their contribution to THON cannot be ignored, there are only so many people that need to be on the floor to pick up trash and keep the floor clean (OPP), as well as enforce the rules (R&R).”

Other alumni expressed their distress in seeing the recent decline in the posterity of THON and their famous slogan of “For the kids,” citing their THON experiences where families were the top priority of THON weekend instead of which org fundraised the most or which org had the best spot in the stands.

The most outrage appears to be coming from actual Four Diamonds families – as it should be.

“Being a veteran family, I can only say that the emotions we are feeling cannot even be put into words,” said Patti Borbst, mother to Lynn Borbst who was diagnosed with AML (Acute Myelomonocytic Leukemia) in 2001. “Family Hour is the highlight of THON weekend – it is OUR time. Time to reflect, remember, celebrate, laugh, cry and hold each other close. To reduce us to a lottery leaves us feeling that we will not be opting in for next year’s THON.”

Sara Weinhold, mother of Volé’s and Alpha Sig’s THON child Noelle, opened up to me about her family’s journey with THON. Their story is harrowing and Sara stated multiple times that THON never let them down.

“We’ve never gone through this journey alone. As a family, we’ve been dealt blow after blow. These kids have made sure that we never face any of this alone. THON means so much to us. I’m scared to tell my daughter she won’t be with her dancers on Sunday. She calls them her best friends. She loves them.”

Sara’s concerns aren’t only for being restricted from the floor in general – it’s for not being there to support her friends as well as Noelle’s. “As a family, we’ve stood side-by-side with our dancers and other families as the videos are playing…When you meet a fellow fighting family, they become family… We are devastated. These kids rely so much on each other and now we don’t get to be on the floor for those final hours. As if Noelle’s journey is any less than others.”

Sisters of Noelle Reinhold during Family Hour at THON 2016

Families such as the Keenen family have been attending THON for up to eight years and they have noticed the changes the most, claiming that they have not been for the better.

Going into her first THON weekend with her daughter Savannah, Kimona Keenen was wary of the risk all of the germs and unclean air of the BJC would pose to Savannah. She was pleasantly surprised though.

Kimona recalled, “For that weekend as a Four Diamonds family we actually could take a break from cancer and all the poking and prodding! Most important to us, Savannah got to just be a kid again!” But she claims things started to go downhill from there, heading into THON 2010. Kimona said their first THON in 2009 was the only time their hotel room and meals were taken care of by the THON. The changes were somewhat minute at first, from accommodations no longer being covered to the rule that everyone had to stand in the BJC, not just dancers. Her outrage was palpable as she discussed with me these most recent changes and possibly the biggest blow to families yet.

“THON is supposed to be FTK! Now they are saying only some kids are [okay] and not survivors? Great, your daughter beat cancer but sorry you can’t celebrate on the floor at THON!”

Savannah Keenen on her father’s shoulders, taking it all in at her first THON

Many believe the solutions for decreasing floor traffic on Sunday are abundant, leaving them scratching their heads about why the families – the central recipients of THON donations and support – were the ones to draw the short straw.

Edward questioned, “Ultimately, this decision only hurts the families. Why should any family be subjected to a lottery to determine who is allowed on the floor when THON would not exist without them? This grouping is absurd, as it defines some families as not as high a priority.”

Both Edward and Kimona made the same appeal for family representation on the THON executive committee. Edward said, “The best way to deal with this is to have a representative for the families (appointed by the families themselves) on the committee to make sure decisions like this are not made.”

Kimona agreed, adding that she felt frustrated and never felt heard by the executive committee. “I think it is about time we have a Four Diamonds Family voice within [the] executive committee,” she said.

Savannah Keenen at her first THON in 2009

With this only being the latest in a string of debatable decisions made by the past few THON regimes, including the dissolution of canning weekends and the removal of the Four Diamonds Fund from the mission statement, many are questioning if THON has finally reached the point of self-implosion. Some are disputing that the glory days of THON weekend have long since come and gone but the real question is when will it all come crumbling down? Some claim that THON is simply too big to fail but maybe it’s THON’s own power that will be its downfall.

Of course, we have to believe the leaders of THON put a lot of thought into these decisions and are trying to find the best solutions. And in the scale of THON with 15,000 student volunteers and hundreds of families who continue to see the good of THON and it’s courageous fight against pediatric cancer there is absolutely no discounting the good that this cause has and will continue to achieved.  But decisions like this do draw into question, where do we go from here.

@FL_GeorgieLine