SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, Pa. — Grace Schneider, a first grader who lives near Pine Grove, loves to dance and play outside, and while it may not look like it, Grace is a cancer patient.
"Grace was diagnosed with B-Cell ALL in September of 2020," said Angela Schneider, Grace's mom.
B-Cell ALL is an aggressive type of leukemia that attacks the blood and bone marrow. Since then, Grace and her family have been in and out of doctor's appointments.
"They put this thing in my arm, and I do not like that," said Grace.
And as of last month, the seven-year-old is finally through the end of her treatment.
The Schneider family agrees they would not have been able to fight this battle against cancer if it weren't for the funding from Four Diamonds.
"You have good jobs and insurance, but you know, there is still a cost financially that comes with having a child with cancer. It's a very long and hard road," said Angela.
Stories like Grace's inspire students at every Penn State commonwealth campus to participate in THON.
Every year, they dance for 46 hours straight, all to support Four Diamonds, the charity that raises money for childhood cancer treatment and research.
Karli Ulmer is a student at Penn State Schuylkill and spent the weekend at THON.
"I wanted to do something that's bigger than myself and be a part of something bigger to make these kids happy," said Karli Ulmer, THON dancer.
Some of the students from Penn State Schuylkill danced all weekend to raise nearly $9,000 to benefit nearby families like the Schneiders.
"That directly went to covering costs like family prescriptions, co-pays, any bills, especially if insurance doesn't cover. Those are all covered by the money raised by the students," explained Angela.
This year Penn State smashed its fundraising record, giving Four Diamonds more than $15 million to help children with cancer.
Since Grace was diagnosed with cancer back in 2020, this was her and her family's first time going to THON in person; an experience the Schneiders will never forget.
"She went through a lot, our whole family went through a lot. It just felt really good to see them do this," said Brooks Schneider, Grace's brother.
Grace is now in remission, but she and her family still plan to be involved with THON to give back to the organization that gave them so much.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube channel.