In 2018, we finally got to attend our first THON. It was a bittersweet moment for us, as we only physically attended as a family of 6, not 7. Our son William had originally been diagnosed in December of 2015. William’s immune system was not good enough for us to attend THON 2016. We did, however, get to experience a small sliver of it with some PSU students that had come to the hospital. William actually was not feeling well (he was inpatient) and we didn’t get to experience all of it, but to see the smile on his face for most of his time downstairs was such an amazing gift. There were not many guys at the event, but 2 that were there really took to William and had him picking on the girls. This was a pretty big deal for William because, aside from being surrounded by female nurses all the time, William also had 4 sisters to deal with at home. At this point, our THON journey was really just beginning and we could’ve never imagined what THON would come to mean to us.
William had a bone marrow transplant in April of 2016 and he did incredibly well with that. He got to ring “the bell” in December of that year, one year to the day of when he was first diagnosed. He was in remission!! I finally stopped looking over my shoulder and worrying about when the next shoe would drop (a symptom that becomes part of every parent of a child that has cancer). William started taking ice skating lessons with the hopes of joining the hockey team, our life was getting back to normal, and we were happy. We were all so excited to attend our first THON, in 2017. The girls had their fanny packs ready, and our youngest got a tutu. We were all truly so excited to finally be able to attend! Unfortunately, we were told that William had relapsed just 3 weeks before THON. The rug had been pulled out from under us and our world was shaken. William was once again in the hospital, but on isolation, so we watched THON live almost nonstop on the TV. William did get to experience THON in a small way, twice, and for that I am grateful.
William became cancer free and earned his beautiful angel wings on July 15, 2017. Just 4 days shy of his 13th birthday. Our hearts will be forever broken, but we were determined to get him to THON one way or another!!! One of the dancers from our org, Bee House, had asked me if there was something of William’s that he could wear during THON, to have William there with him, so that William could get the full experience of THON, even if just in spirit. I was so moved by this request that I gave our dancer Nick the best thing that I could think of. My necklace that has some of William’s ashes contained inside.
I cannot imagine how grueling it is for every single dancer on that floor. For every committee member that has tirelessly given so many hours of themselves. To anyone that helps with THON in any way. But what I can tell you is what it means to a family such as ours. You have opened up your arms and embraced us, you have opened up your hearts and loved us, you have pulled us up with your amazing spirits during some of our most darkest days, you showed our son how good this world truly can be.
As a bereaved parent, I can tell you that most people turn away from us. We are a parent’s worst nightmare, and proof that horrible things happen to amazing kids. We are abandoned by both family and friends. Our THON family has been a constant from day 1. You did not abandon us when we were at our lowest. You continue to show us your love and strength and dedication. I lied when I said that I can tell you what THON means to us. It is something that could never truly be described with words. It is an amazing feeling that one must experience in order to understand. To be in the BJC when all of you stand up to dance, to see your exhausted faces at 2am Sunday morning, to watch as you wrap your arms around fellow dancers as you watch videos on the screen, to know that a dancer is carrying your son with him on this amazing weekend, and to be on the floor with you as you finally get to sit down.
The amount of appreciation that I have for each and every one of you could fill up 100 BJCs!! YOU are the good in this world! YOU are a source of hope for families facing their worst nightmares! YOU make sure that kids like our sweet boy William will never be forgotten. YOU fight to make sure that we WILL find a cure! We are forever indebted to you for all that you do.
Now, go own that floor like the superstars that you are!! When you are tired and weak and don’t think that you are capable of anymore, know that you have angels among you holding you up. Cheering you on. Giving you strength. Just as you have done for the families that love you.
William Sweger Family - Letter to Dancers