Families talk about the impacts DanceBlue has for pediatric cancer
LEXINGTON, Ky (WTVQ)- A twenty-four hour dance marathon wrapped up inside the University of Kentucky’s Memorial Coliseum Sunday Night with DanceBlue 2023.
More than 600 students have stayed up all night and day to raise money for a good cause.
All money raised is going to help pediatric cancer patients at the Kentucky Children’s Hospital Hematology/ Oncology Clinic.
Something Dynae Utz understands all too well, when her son was diagnosed in May 2020.
“He had a little spot on his leg. We thought it was a spider bite. And we really didn’t think too much about it. We decided a little later, it popped up a little bit later, and we thought we needed to take him to the ER,” says Utz.
After a series of tests and surgery, the official results came back.
“In July 14th, we found out his lump was actually cancer. It’s a rare form of cancer. Its nonrabdomiosarcoma, CIC-DUX4.”
Utz had just lost her mother to cancer. She was also in the hospital preparing to give birth to her second son.
It was during the family’s time in the hospital that they found out about DanceBlue. Utz says that’s where she found support.
“It’s more than just the marathon, it’s more than just the 5k run. Its these kids showing up for the kids like Lewis, and other children who have cancer, who are stuck with this horrid disease that they have no control over.”
Lewis had his final treatment in 2021. When asked how the recovery is going for Lewis and the family, Utz responded: “It’s still going. I would even say here two years later after treatment, 2 years, I’m still processing my kid had cancer, he had radiation, he had chemotherapy, he lost his hair, but then there’s organizations like DanceBlue that make it, I wont say worth it, but make it feel like it’s okay. We went through this, we’re all in this together. And that’s what really helps.”
UK alumna Hannah Thornsberry has also impacted by DanceBlue on both sides. She found out about the reason behind DanceBlue when she was younger.
“I started with DanceBlue as a patient. I was diagnosed way back in 2010 with a brain tumor. I was a patient before I ever knew what DanceBlue was,” she says. “As a freshman, I was able to give back to DanceBlue and I decided to dance.”
Thornsberry helped raise $1,000 during her first year as a student. She stayed involved through her college career. Even as a UK grad, she still continues to come back each year to support students for DanceBlue.
Since the marathon’s beginning, students have raised more than 20 million dollars for pediatric cancer.
“They’re fresh out of high school and they just come and they love. And they love hard, and that means even more than the money they raise. Yes it’s amazing because it goes to equipment and fun things in the clinci and all those things are important. We aprpeciate that more than they know but their love for the patients and the love theyve shown me and just their heart to help has been huge,” says Thornsberry.
DanceBlue raises $1,650,857.26 this year.
