"Dance Marathon FSU means a lot to me. It means people dancing and really good people having fun to help kids like me." -Nate, eight-year-old Miracle Child
We come across certain people in our lives that help change our perspective on the world around us. Dance Marathon at Florida State University is a 40-hour event where over 1,800 students stay awake and on their feet For the Kids. This year, I was lucky enough to have interviewed Nate Ferrell, an eight-year-old Miracle Child with Mitochondrial Disease. His parents, Amber and Jay, and his older sisters, Emma and Abby, were right alongside him throughout the entire weekend. Nate and his incredible family helped me realize that the power of coming together has more healing properties than modern-day medicines and technology.
"Nate was born with a genetic condition called Mitochondrial Disease, a disease that affects organ function and organ development. Nate has been a patient at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital since right after his birth. His body relies on the continuous medical equipment and the very close care of his nine specialists at Shands Children’s Hospital to help keep him healthy and energetic and able to be here at Dance Marathon. DM to our family is incredibly important. The kids say that Dance Marathon is more fun than Christmas! It’s so important to us and to be able to see what all of the students are doing to come together for these kids to change their lives... it's something that we find so inspiring and very humbling and we absolutely love seeing all of their efforts." -Amber Ferrell, Nate's mother
"A lot of kids his age, their goal in life is to hit a home run in Little League, or to have those types of milestones, but he can’t do that. His body doesn’t allow him to do that. He never gets the cheering from the sidelines that a lot of kids get. But he comes here and everybody says 'Nate! Come here, come take a picture!' This is where he gets to be the kid. This is where he gets the cheering from the sidelines. It makes a big difference. It makes him feel special." -Jay Ferrell, Nate's father
Dance Marathon is where many kids like Nate get to be carefree. They get to experience something greater than treatments or doctor appointments. They are surrounded by continuous support, and they are embraced by everyone they meet. The participants and volunteers offer continuous support in hopes of making a difference. It’s a beautiful thing to see the smiles on these kids’ faces once they enter the dancing grounds. The goal is to spread smiles, to raise awareness, and to give hope. Most importantly, to make everyone feel loved.
"They treat the siblings like royalty here, too. A lot of times Nate’s sick and we’re having to put so much time and healthcare into his life and sometimes it’s easy to push the girls over to the side. They may get overlooked. But here they don’t get overlooked. They’re just embraced right along with all the miracle kids and they feel just as special." -Amber Ferrell
Nate’s older sister Abby, said, “I like how they treat us like we’re special, too.” The people of Dance Marathon aim to give the kids the best experience they could ever imagine each and every year, as well as raise the funds for our local beneficiaries. This year, they certainly accomplished their goal. Dance Marathon at Florida State University raised $1,435,120.32. That’s a whole lot of miracles, and a whole lot of hope.
