Tim Hartung's life changed on April 24, 2007.
That's the day the Gov. Mifflin High School freshman and burgeoning cross country star learned that he had cancer.
Hartung, now 16 and a junior, has spent more than his fair share of time at Hershey Medical Center going through treatment for leukemia, which is now in remission.
He has seen fi rsthand the trials and tribulations endured by cancer patients and their families.
And, he wants to help.
So, Hartung decided to dedicate his senior project to a large fundraiser that supports cancer patients and research -- THON.
THON is a dance marathon held annually at Penn State that raises money for the Four Diamonds Fund at Hershey Medical Center's Penn State Children's Hospital.
The Four Diamonds Fund was created in 1972 to help pay medical costs for young cancer patients at the hospital and to fund cancer research.
It's something Hershey Medical Center patients know all about.
"They introduce you to THON fairly early when you're up there," Hartung explained.
Hartung said his parents have had many conversations in the hospital's waiting rooms with families who have been helped by the fund. One woman, he said, thought she was going to have to sell her house to pay her son's medical bills.
"She said she just burst into tears when she found out she didn't have to worry about the cost," Hartung said.
Developing out of the Penn State event, high schools across the state have begun holding their own Mini-THONs, which is exactly what Hartung decided to do at Gov. Mi
--in.
"I knew it was going to be a lot, but they've done so much for me," Hartung said of the Hershey staff. "The nurses up there, everybody, everything is so positive."
Planning a major fundrais ing event from scratch is no easy task, so Hartung enlisted the help of the student gov ernment association.
Nancy C. Brady, the associa tion's adviser, said the student government members jumped at the chance to help, and the entire school has embraced the cause.
"I think they're excited to do something for one of their peers, one of their classmates, she said. "The school is really excited about this. I originally only printed 200 packets to hand out to kids, and the fi rst day they were gone."
More than 450 students have already started collect ing donations.
"It's just amazing," Har tung said. "It's amazing, but I knew, in a sense, because of what I was raising money for, I knew it would get a good response." To see more of the Reading Eagle, or to subscribe, go to http://www.readingeagle.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Reading Eagle, Pa. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
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