Way back in November, someone in an organization I was in told me that I should sign up for Dance Marathon. I had heard of it before but had no clue whatsoever what it was aside from the fact that it raised money for children. At the time, I wasn't involved in much and I was dying to put myself out there and do more, so a few weeks later, I went online and signed up.

At the time, I thought that what I signed up for would be simple volunteering and fundraising like any other event I'd done before, and it'd be a piece of cake. I was so, so wrong.

Dance Marathon is an event that raises money for the Children's Miracle Network and all the funds go FTK (for the kids). BGSU's Dance Marathon is called Ziggython, and the details from school to school vary, but the gist is the same: participants are on their feet non-stop for some designated period of time and everything we do is for these kids. You are designated into color teams that are led by morale captains and are based on what organization you signed up for the event with (I signed up with CHAARG and was on Yellow).

The fundraising starts months before the event even starts and is especially focused on during the marathon. In-event, miracle children and families visit all throughout the event and participants are encouraged to get to know the kids that this is done for. There are games, performances, dances taught, creative ways to raise money, and a whole lot of a sense of community.

What I did not understand when I signed up for the event and would continue to misunderstand until about a month beforehand, was that when they said 24 hours of dancing, they meant it. No breaks. No coming and going. We would be on our feet for 24 hours, dancing and playing games and sometimes just standing around, and that was that. I'll admit, when I first learned this, I was incredibly nervous and considered backing out. But I had already gotten donations from my friends and family on my donor drive, and even if I was scared, I knew that the cause was worth it. Plus, the people who run the event are so incredibly passionate and convincing that I was pretty curious to understand what the hype was all about.

April 7th through the 8th — the days the 24-hour event spanned — were the most physically, emotionally and mentally taxing days of my life. And I'm so unbelievably grateful for it.

I'm grateful that I could experience the smiles on the miracle children's faces.

I'm grateful that I have the ability to stand, especially when there are far too many children who deserve to and can't.

I'm grateful that I am privileged enough to be attending a college that gives me an opportunity to do something like this.

I'm grateful that Dance Marathon allowed me to put into perspective how truly blessed I am with the life I have been given.

It is so incredibly humbling to realize how much pain and suffering these kids have been through, and that no matter how much my feet hurt, it would be nothing compared to that. I am lucky to be able to suffer like that, and I am PROUD to have done so, because it truly is all FTK. I would gladly go through it a million more times if it meant that no child would ever have to suffer again.

Dance Marathon changed my perspective on life. The stress of college and life, the struggles I will face in my life, they are diddly-squat compared to what other people have to go through, and keeping that in mind has made me want to be kinder. It has helped me not worry about the little things, and to realize that I am part of a much bigger community than I thought I was.

Dancing for 24 hours straight took a toll on me. My feet still hurt days later, my sleep schedule is wonky, and I cringe when thinking about dancing. Despite all of that, though, I cannot WAIT to do it all over again.