GAINESVILLE, FL (352today.com) – Abby Ferrell and her family have been involved in Dance Marathon for over 14 years, and it all started with her little brother, Nate.
As a newborn, Nate was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease. His cells couldn’t produce enough energy for his body to function properly, which led to neurological and organ complications. Much of Nate’s childhood was spent at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital.
“Shands sort of became a second home to us,” says Ferrell, who grew up in Gainesville. From a young age, she knew she wanted to support her brother however she could.
That’s when her family got involved in Dance Marathon, a foundation Ferrell now calls a second family.
“There are members of Dance Marathon that I’ve known since elementary school,” says Ferrell, a senior at the University of Florida. “They would come to our recitals and games… they were support systems for us.”
Ferrell shared a memory her mother recently reminded her of: when Nate was young, his appearance was so fragile that even close relatives hesitated to hold him. That changed when a Dance Marathon member took Nate for a ride in a go-kart.
“They weren’t afraid of him… they wanted to give him a childhood,” Ferrell recalls.
Ferrell recently participated in UF’s 31st annual Dance Marathon at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, where participants commit to staying awake and active for 26.2 hours straight – no sleeping allowed. Students, alumni, patients, and their families take part in the event, which includes a rave, silent disco, 4:00 a.m. lip sync battle, and miracle story segments where patients share their journeys and the role Dance Marathon played in them.
“It gives us a reason to keep doing it and a hope to keep going forward,” says Ferrell.
Alumni and parents are also treated to a happy hour during the marathon, which provides a respite from the action.
There’s also a line dance every hour, on the hour, to make sure you’re not thinking about catching a snooze.
This year, the event raised $1,351,566.99 for UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital.
Ferrell, who entered the event as Membership Manager, was promoted to executive director just days later. As the new leader of UF’s Dance Marathon, she hopes to help the organization grow even stronger.
“I want to see people enjoy it,” says Ferrell. “It’s really cool to be part of an organization that’s so much bigger than yourself… you’re creating miracles and saving lives.”
More importantly, Ferrell wants to continue saving lives.
“I saw it first-hand… my brother is alive because of Dance Marathon. He’s gotten treatments that have been experimental because of what we funded in the research. It’s such a blessing to be on the other side and see the ins and outs of the organization and see people fall in love with the cause.”