THON Family Hour

Family Hour is an hour within the final four hours that talk about the families and children affected by pediatric cancer. This hour started off with a THON member introducing the event and he left a sentimental message before Stacia Bird, the daughter of the Four Diamonds founders, and all the families at THON came on stage.

He said, “Cancer cannot take the love we share” which set the loving and serious mood of the hour.

After the THON member left the stage with that impactful message. Stacia Bird would also leave an impacting message on THON by describing what THON meant to her father and mother. She also went on to say he lives on forever with Penn State.

The impactful speech, given by Stacia Bird, was followed by all of the Four Diamond families and children. Later on, all Four Diamond children were recognized in a video for all the BJC to see.

Here below were all the children recognized that were impacted:

Daniel Popjes

Shiloh Crimmel

Julia O’Toole

Allyson “Ally” Musser

Branson Hoglund

Ashley Otstott Baiocco

Grace Schneider

Tyler Wilson

Kimberly Bender

Landon Knepp

Logan McCarthy

Tessa Rivera

Kionne Reese

Tysawn Jennings

Sydney Bush

Jack Sylves

Isabella Messina

Kennedy Wilson

Marola Anes

Jesse King

Lucas Andrezeski

Jaxon Crabill

Katie Austin Ducker

Natalie Biancone

Tyler Truex

Kasey Griffiths

Chayton Drapcho

Charlie Beecher

Mckenna Speed

Crystal Munoz

Mina Horan

Colin Kratzer

Olivia Lewis

Devanhi Sanchez

Ryan Arevalo

Victoria Smith

Tessa Rivera

Logan Knaper

Drew Herdson

Michael Palm

Kyle McDonnell

Anees Ayaz

Colby Bubb

Levi Baker

Kimberly Bender

Theresa Illicete

Tyler Wilson

Carmen Guzman

Aubrey Evans

Kane Wolf

Declan Homan

Grace Schneider

Weston Newswager

Chase Kemberling

Riley Rejniak

Hailey Dougherty

Dylan Zepp

Celia Cosentino

CAleb Deckman

Rebekah Tuckey

Tommy Armstrong

Clay Hamman

Isaac Messner

Branson Hoglund

Carly Wilfong

Devin Pulaski

Mario Ouardi

Hunter Leisey

Kristen German

Zachary Long

Lydia Hess

Calliope Silbaugh

Levi Krodel

Garret Shover

Savannah Keenen

Gabrielle Chapman

Makenzie Mehalick

Kaylahni Laboy

Trey Fry

Whitney Gehman

Kyler Sumpman

Jay Dawson

Harrison Fischman

Annalisse Lopez

Astrid Garcia

Gunnar Downie

Ryan Packer

Tawny Fultz

Mara Zomok

Isabella Stonesifer

Emily Schmidt

Zachary Shiffer

Sarah Zeisloft

Jhonene Sullivan

Connor Rowan

Justin Kaufman

Jaxon Eichelberger

Braeden Fleagle

Jeremiah Reedy

Bryan Weinsheimer

Sean Grindle

Hailey Wile

After that, a celebration of life video rolled that hit every heart in the BJC.

Here are all the names and dates that have sadly passed away:

Chistopher Millard (1958-1972)

Brandt Pflueger (1/19/2004-1/12/2011)

Courtney Ann Jarrett (1/20/1994-07/26/2009)

Craig Dewalt (1/29/1985-2/2/2015)

Amanda Butcher (1/31/1981-3/5/2012)

Lauren Carrano (2/2/1987-2/21/1996)

Devin Diem (2/3/2001-10/13/2006)

Nickolas Akright (2/7/1985-8/23/2004)

Dr. Brenda Kimmett (2/10/1966-11/04/2023)

Megan Ann Bolton (2/15/1986-7/8/2003)

Megan Martin (2/27/2007-1/22/2019)

Kirra Broadwater (3/1/2008-12/1/2018)

Morgan Rae Griffis (3/7/1990-11/7/2005)

Sophia Marsicano (3/7/2011-11/15/2017)

Peyton Alkire (3/12/2007-1/18/2021)

Nadine Zanolini (3/13/1995-9/7/2001)

Larry Mitchell Newman (3/15/1951-8/29/2022)

Olivia Lynch (3/17/2010-12/02/2015)

Austin Stitzer (3/20/2002-9/20/2011)

Charles Millard (3/24/1928-11/4/2021)

Jack Hontz (3/24/1960-6/23/2017)

Addison Grace Holl (3/25/2004-2/24/2013)

Travis Knopp (3/29/1964-7/25/2002)

Alex DiRocco (4/4/1993-5/8/2001)

Isaac Thompson (4/6/2001-9/10/2008)

Gavin Wagner (4/9/2001-1/11/2009)

Eli Sidler (4/11/1996-6/24/2012)

Justin Burns (4/19/2003-5/31/2012)

Catie O’Brien (4/23/2001-1/25/2009)

Maddie Hill (4/25/1997-6/29/2016)

Connor Goonan (4/25/2006-11/12/2018)

Maggie Patterson (4/29/2001-1/22/2015)

Marly Jae Watson (5/1/1995-1/25/2011)

Conner Holland (5/3/2006-9/4/2011)

Rees Douglas Parham (5/3/2006-3/3/2014)

McKenzie Schneider (5/7/2005-2/28/2009)

Tyler LeFevre (5/8/1991-10/24/1997)

Nicholas Pantalone (5/19/1993-3/24/2013)

Jenn Bailey (5/22/1990-7/13/2006)

Miranda Kaye Zeigler (5/24/1994/1/30/2009)

Evan Kreider (5/30/2008-6/11/2013)

Jay Jacunski (6/4/1994-12/15/2010)

Tyler Bryant (6/12/2006-6/25/2016)

Brandon Loose (6/13/1999-10/6/2008)

Laura Bethany Bealer (6/16/2002-7/31/2023)

Ashley Pauls (6/17/2000-2/11/2021)

Jeremy Foust (6/20/1990-6/7/2009)

Nicholas J. Peterson (6/21/1991-12/8/2009)

Brittany Tyler Kellison (6/24/1996-4/24/2012)

William Sweger (7/19/2004-7/15/2017)

Dave Jones (7/28/1989-4/9/2011)

Maddelyn Yohe (7/28/2008-6/26/2021)

Felicia Lynn Rupp (7/30/1985-10/1/1998)

Hope Westrick (8/2/2001-12/26/2015)

Troy Brewer (8/4/1989-3/9/2006)

Joe Huston (8/5/1983-7/12/2000)

Lesenia Cantarero-Moreno (8/6/2011-4/10/2020)

Jazmine Cope (8/10/1996-11/26/2010)

Savion Atterberry (8/13/2005-1/17/2016)

Ellen Smith (8/17/2000-7/20/2015)

Emilia Dameshek (8/19/2003-5/19/2016)

Ethan Van Aulen (8/23/2000-12/22/2016)

Tony Espinoza (8/31/1998-8/27/2020)

Jacob Manola (8/31/2001-5/06/2022)

Colby Hoch (9/2/1991-3/12/1997)

Blair Peters (9/12/1989-7/29/2012)

Jackson Smith (9/13/2004-2/6/2008)

Rebecca Engle (9/16/1992-2/15/2014)

Alexia Barnett (9/21/2004-8/20/2011)

Kayla Nakonechni (9/25/1991-10/14/2015

Jedediah Smith (9/29/1997-1/3/2010)

Elijah “Baby E” Amato (9/29/2017-12/10/2018)

Lydia Starr (10/3/1985-5/10/2013)

Drew Comrey (10/6/1989-4/9/2003)

Sophie Ruiz (10/7/2000-12/18/2021)

Lily Jordan (10/19/2002-9/21/2020)

Jordan Gantt (10/24/1994-6/7/2005)

Bella Rinier (10/27/2006-8/7/2012)

Jonathan Grula (10/31/1986-9/7/1999)

Alicia Paige Rundall (11/7/1978-5/4/1994)

Grant Jones (11/8/2012-4/28/2020)

Jerel Bruckhart (11/11/1979-1/11/1985)

Neil Patel (11/12/2000-8/1/2021)

Joyce Ortiz (11/12/2001-1/30/2020)

Kerri Cecelia Kehoe (11/16/1999-2/10/2006)

Ryan Norfleet (11/20/1997-1/7/2020)

Dustin Smith (11/22/1988-12/25/2011)

Meghan Johnson (11/26/1998-11/21/2017)

Xavier “X-Man” Colon (11/28/2004-3/18/2006)

Damien Smucker (12/4/2003-5/31/2019)

Brandon Hohenadel (12/14/1994-10/11/2016)

Teddy Morton (12/15/2008-4/21/2009)

Caitlin Hornung (12/19/1992-10/2/2000)

Delaney Brown (12/20/2005-12/25/2013)

Karim Bectach (12/23/2004-5/31/2018)

Tori Kricher (12/29/1985-7/31/1996)

Tobias Leaman (12/30/2001-10/17/2020)

Dominique Bigler (12/31/1994-8/4/2014)

Samuel Grimm (12/31/2018-3/11/2019)

Stories

Sydney Bush

Sydney Bush, a resilient third-year student at Penn State and paired with Delta Sigma Pi, embodies the spirit of perseverance in her battle against cancer. Despite facing daunting challenges, including undergoing radiation treatment at Hershey Hospital, Sydney finds solace and strength in her involvement with THON.

As a devoted participant since 2007 and 2024 Family Relations captain, she draws inspiration from the organization's mission to support pediatric cancer patients and their families. Sydney's journey is a testament to her unwavering determination, fueled by the hope and joy she finds in THON's impactful work.

With 17 years of cancer-free living under her belt, Sydney remains a beacon of resilience and positivity, exemplifying the transformative power of community and support in the face of adversity.

Adley Gordon

Adley Gordon's journey with cancer is a poignant reminder of the indiscriminate nature of the disease and the profound impact it has on young lives.

Diagnosed just two weeks before her second birthday, Adley's early years were defined by hospital visits and treatments. Despite the challenges, Adley's fighting spirit shines through, buoyed by moments like watching "Moana" in the hospital bed, creating cherished memories amidst the hardship.

Supported by the THON community and its unwavering commitment to pediatric cancer patients, Adley bravely endures her treatment, inching closer to the end of her arduous 2 ½ year journey with chemotherapy.

Her resilience and infectious spirit serve as a source of inspiration, illustrating the profound impact of love, hope, and community in navigating the toughest of challenges.

Samuel Grimm

Samuel Grimm's brief but impactful life serves as a poignant reminder of the fragility of life and the strength found in the face of adversity. Born into the world on New Year's Eve 2018, Samuel's early days were faced with treatments and surgeries. However, throughout his journey, Samuel's bubbly personality and love for music therapy illuminated even the darkest days, offering solace to his family and caregivers.

Tragically, Samuel's battle with cancer ended on March 11, 2019, at just 10 weeks old, leaving behind a legacy of resilience and bravery that continues to inspire all who knew him.

Cora Rodriguez is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email cir5381@psu.edu.