Each year the dancers, leadership, volunteers, and donors all work hard to have a successful tote board at the end of the Big Event. While all of the money we have raised over the years is incredibly important and has provided us and families with opportunities beyond our imagination, there is so much more to UIDM than just the money. At the end of the night for DM26, what matters most is that everyone is left feeling like they fought until the very end right alongside our families. We strive to prove that our support for our families is unwavering and is constant despite the numbers raised at the end of the 24 hours. With everything that we do throughout the year, the Big Event gives us the opportunity to show our families that we truly could not do any of it without them and their inspiration. The hours of long nights and early mornings leading up to the Big Event and the entire 24 hours of experiencing pain, joy, sadness and hope only reminds us of our mission; to reflect the resilience of our families to ensure they never fight alone. Our fight does not stop when opening ceremony begins, it continues in the hearts of everyone involved even after the music stops and pillowcases, representing each DM kiddo, are taken down. The Big Event may only be one day out of the year, but our love and endless fight for a better tomorrow for our families is never ending. Through the 24 hours of dancing, fun, and celebration, we hope to brighten the lives of our families who have done so much for us. It is for them we fight. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow until no one has to hear the words “your child has cancer” ever again. We hope you have joined us in this fight, or can be one of the many new additions to our army of lime, fighting together until the end.  

By: Jenna Vogel and Rachel Lacy, Public Relations Committee, DM 26