Thalia was diagnosed with ALL in 2001 when she was 3 year and 11 months old. At that time I was a single mom working two jobs and a freshman at Penn State York. During her Treatment at Hershey Medical center she had numerous overnight-extended stays, one platelet transfusion, and was on 11 different Chemo medications. It was hard to see my baby girl suffer and go through so much pain. I thought many of times of giving up and quitting college. But through it all she was strong- she taught me never to give up or quit. She is my hero.
Thalia was chemo free in 2003. I graduated from Penn State Harrisburg with my Bachelor’s degree in 2004. In 2008, Thalia reached her 5-year mark and was considered cancer free. In 2013, Thalia reached her 10-year mark and was considered a cancer survivor. Thalia now attends the Cancer Survivor Clinic at Hershey Medical center. Currently, I am a Family Therapist at PA Counseling services. Thalia is a senior at York County School of Technology and is studying Child Care. Thalia plans on going to college at Penn State York to become a Child Psychologist. I am thankful every day for still having my baby girl and seeing her grow up to become a young lady.
This journey has been a difficult time for us. We wouldn't have been able to get through it if it wasn't for our family and friends. THON has given us hope throughout all these years. THON is a great natural support system for families like us. We were blessed to be part of THON 2002, 2003, and 2004 and to be adopted by the Singing Lions. In 2003, Thalia was featured in the 4 Diamonds brochure. Recently, 2014 and 2015 we were adopted by BLVD. Every year we spend at THON our family grows. The dedication these students have is honorable & admirable. They are true guardian angels. The support, love, passion and commitment THON has shown us can never be beat. I am proud to say I am Penn State. And I know my daughter Thalia is proud to say the same. The first thing Thalia told me when she got accepted into Penn State was "I'm going to be part of a THON organization and one day I'm going to dance and raise money for kids like me."
The Splawn Family