Children’s Miracle Network: Dance Marathon
A collective silence fell over the crowded commons area of Winona State University’s East Hall as Jude’s Mother illustrated her family’s current relationship with the Children’s Miracle Network. Megan, Jude’s mother, described how her son had been born prematurely with Spina Bifida, Hydrocephalus, and an absent left leg. As she spoke, Jude stood spritely at her side, studying the crowd while a smile four times his size stretched across his face. He slowly pulled up his left pant leg, proudly revealing his vibrantly colored prosthetic leg. Even as I listened to his heartbreaking story, I couldn’t help but allow Jude’s contagious happiness rub off on me, as it had for the rest of the room. It dawned on me, as I am sure it did for everyone else, that Jude was nothing less than a hero.
Meet Jude!
More than ten million children enter the CMN hospitals every year. Each minute, 62 kids enter the program relying on its ability to bridge the financial gap not covered by insurance. This aid, raised one dollar at a time, helps to improve and save the lives of as many children as possible. To maximize the care they can provide, children’s hospitals rely on donations and community support. Over the program’s lifespan, it has raised over 5 billion dollars.
It was my first time attending Winona State’s Dance Marathon. While I didn’t know what to expect, I never thought I would smile and laugh as much as I did. At the top of each hour, a new family would describe their unique and inspiring story. All the donations and proceeds raised during that hour would go directly towards helping that family with their medical expenses. Just like Jude, each of the youngsters stole the show with their glowing happiness. In between each hour, the attendees participated in wonderful activities like: Giant Jenga, Four Square, Face-Painting, Ring Toss, and of course, dancing. During each kid’s hour, we would start by adding new elements to a dance dedicated to them and their families. Although I am typically not one for dancing in public, the environment gleeful aura in the room eased my inhibitions. I found myself dancing alongside my friends and peers without any embarrassment.
Unfortunately, knocking down the Giant Jenga tower for the second consecutive time WAS embarrassing.
In many cases, philanthropy based organizations and events are built around a rather sad cause. The CMN hospitals are in place to help those who are the most helpless of all. Of course, there were moments throughout the day where sadness blanketed the room. Listening to the moms and dads tell their child’s story had me fighting back tears with all my will. But, before I knew it, the kids would remind me that while in the presence of sadness, the best defense is a big smile! No matter how bad their current situation or health, all these kids wanted to do was play. While many of the miracle kids were told that they wouldn’t live past their first year, they never showed a hint of worry. I think they knew, as they smiled, giggled, and danced with us, that we were incredibly inspired by their strength and perseverance.
There were plenty of smiles to go around.
After all, the Dance Marathon was full of reasons to have fun, and any student looking to get into the spirit of helping would surely enjoy giving it a try next year! While I may technically be an adult, the activities and food choice on hand made me feel like a big kid in a crowd of big kids. Each of us having just as much fun as the miracle kids, who were chomping at the bit to remind us what it felt like to play! Imagine a group of college kids eagerly waiting in line for their turn to join the Four-Square game. Picture two dudes deciding whether they want the shooting star or the tiger paw painted on their bearded face. As we remembered what it felt like to be a kid again, we were also reminded how important it was for the miracle children to be able to be one, too.
The stories we listened to that morning put into perspective how easy most of us have it. College students, me being no exception, tend to complain about the burden of our current financial situation. Rather than being thankful for what we have, we fail to recognize how blessed we truly are. Each family spoke in terms of being lucky or fortunate for the help of the CMN hospitals, not once highlighting the extreme sacrifices they’ve been forced to make over the course of their child’s life.
At the end of the day, WSU’s Dance Marathon raised $40,610.38 of pledges and donations. Each cent will go to children like Jude who are in need of care. As I walked home from the event, I was able to reflect on the things I’d learned from the day. In short, heroes absolutely exist, and miracles really do happen every day. I learned that no matter how bad things may seem, there is always a reason to smile. Most importantly, I realized that sometimes the heroes need a miracle more than anyone.
