Removing a blue bandanna, Bekah Rundall revealed her shaved head.

Rundall does not have cancer. Her older sister, Alicia, was a Four Diamonds patient who lost her life to cancer in high school. Last Friday, Nov. 7, was Alicia’s birthday, and Rundall saw no better place to be than at Shippensburg University’s Mini-THON.

The event, themed “Dance lightly through Life,” started with grateful words from Four Diamonds families like Rundall’s. Xander Beltz, 7, came with his family the past two years to celebrate his life. He was diagnosed with cancer at 18 months old. Today, Xander is a survivor.

Hanging onto his mother’s hip while she spoke to the crowd in ShipRec, Xander showed off his pearly whites.

“I was handed a death sentence,” Dava Beltz said, “And here he is smiling back at you.”
Kirsten German, the family relations captain of SU’s Mini-THON, was diagnosed at age 6. After surgery on a brain tumor and rounds of radiation, German was able to fight her cancer and become a voice for Four Diamonds patients. Now a freshman at SU, German is glad to have those memories behind her.

“It’s a blessing,” German said.

Gus Bostdorf, 19, is also a freshman cancer fighter. During his senior year of high school, Bostdorf discovered a tumor pressing against his left lung. This led to 10 rounds of radiation, five surgeries and three stem cell transplants.

Lightening the mood in ShipRec, Bostdorf joked about his surgery scars being the result of a bear attack.

All of these speakers at Mini-THON and more are connected through the Four Diamonds fund that SU students danced for on Friday. Four Diamonds pays for everything from medical bills to gas money to food vouchers in the hospital.

“The bills don’t stop just ‘cause your kid has cancer,” Beltz said.

The Four Diamonds fund is named after a story written by a young cancer patient. Christopher Millard died at age 14 in 1972, according to the Four Diamonds website. He wrote a story about a knight that searched for the four diamonds: courage, wisdom, honesty and strength. Those symbols gave birth to the organization that is the Four Diamonds today.

This year was SU’s third Mini-THON. Maura Coyne, a senior, joined the club when she was a freshman. She saw the organization grow into its first Mini-THON event her sophomore year, and this year she led the special events committee.

“There are no words,” Coyne said, “I am beyond grateful for what Mini-THON has done for me.”
The committee chairs like Coyne could be spotted throughout ShipRec in their purple T-shirts. Those in attendance received teal shirts with this year’s theme stamped on the front.

After a year of fundraising, committee chairs and cancer survivors gathered on stage to reveal much money was raised, around 2:30 a.m.

One by one, each person held up a number to reveal a total of $13,102.45.

The number of participants was high at the start of night at 6 p.m. The evening was filled with dancing, jumping in a “Toy Story” moon bounce, gorging on pizza and being chased around by hyper children. Real life Mario Kart was even held on the indoor track, with power-ups, too.
By the end, a determined few remained to celebrate their hard work.

Ronnie Hobson, a sophomore, was inspired to attend Mini-THON by his aunt and uncle, who died from cancer within a week of each other.

“Seeing how strong they were together, it automatically touches me when I see the kids doing it,” Hobson said.

Many of the students befriended the Four Diamonds children running around ShipRec. Their exuberant energy fueled the night. One little girl screamed with excitement the first time she heard a reference to Disney’s “Frozen” in the Mini-THON line dance.

“They’re going to have a life because of the efforts you’re putting in,” Rundall said of the Four Diamonds children.

Whether someone in ShipRec was fighting cancer or honoring a loved one who lost his or her battle, SU’s Mini-THON served as a place of joy as its participants danced lightly through life.

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