On Sunday, February 19th at 10:00 a.m., Sanford Stadium was dead quiet. Thousands of UGA students anxiously awaiting the reveal of a number so much bigger than themselves. It's quiet, then the stadium erupts. $1,352,705.17. There is sobbing, screaming and cries of joy as over 3,000 students joyfully embrace over the fact that UGA Miracle raised over 1.3 million dollars for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. A new record which puts Miracle as the #1 donor for Children's (in front of WALMART!) with over 7.1 million dollars donated since they started in 1995.
As a member of UGA Miracle for two years now, I can't even begin to explain how much this means to me and to our organization. To surpass our goal from last year by over $300,000, and to become the number one donor for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, a hospital who we hold so close and dear to our hearts, it is such a dream come true. But, 1.3 wasn't our goal. It was 1.4. Why was it 1.4? Because only 4% of federal funding goes towards Children's cancer research. Only 4%. In the past 20 years, only 3 new treatments have been FDA approved to help fight childhood cancer. Research is so so critical to discovering new and better ways to treat the kids struggling with cancer, and it's just not getting enough funding.
While standing in Tate Grand hall in the last hour of Dance Marathon, legs quivering from being on our feet for 24 hours without sitting (take the standing challenge its so worth it) and our cheeks wet with tears after listening to the Hopkins family's power story, we again cried as Peyton Greene's family shared her story. She almost died, she was so close, but CHOA brought her back. We're again reminded that Peyton didn't almost pass away solely from her disease but from the side effects of her treatments. Research is so critical in fighting against childhood cancer. While on a tour of CHOA'S Egelston Campus, specifically their Aflac and Cancer wing (which UGA Miracle also started supporting this year!!), I was told the story of a child who was on his death bed. His family was planning his funeral, he'd been through 3 clinical trials and tried every available option out there, but it just wasn't working. Then, his doctor came forth with a new clinical trial and said 'Let's give it one last shot". It worked, and that child is now alive and well. Our kids need better treatments. Our kids need more research. Our kids need more funding. 4 percent IS NOT ENOUGH.
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is one of 170 Miracle Network hospitals around the country fighting for Children. Anyone who has been to CHOA can tell you have special and magical that place is. The families rave about the staff and how they truly drop everything to be there for your family and will stop at nothing to try and make everything okay again. 1.4 was a lofty goal, but it isn't about hitting a goal. It's about pushing and trying as hard as we can to raise as much money as we possibly can. Our kids, our hospital, our families NEVER stop fighting. Their strength despite enduring the impossible is unmeasurable. So we fight for them, despite all odds, we fight for the impossible, all for them.
UGA Miracle might not have hit 1.4 this year, but this organization is about so much more than meeting a goal. It's about caring for our families, loving on our kids, bringing our campus together, supporting our hospital, and raising as much money as we can to help end childhood cancer. You see it in the events we put on throughout the year, the wall of hope that shares each of our children's stories, the tears streaming down people's faces as we listen to our families' stories, the joy in our miracle kids faces as they're running all over Tate Student center, our year was such a success. We are so proud of all we have accomplished, and the greatest part? We get to do even more next year. I wish I could truly capture in words how amazing and how truly impactful this organization is, but ill try to sum it up in 3 words. For The Kids.
FTK FTK FTK FTK FTK FTK FTK
