Donations enrich lives of children battling diseases

The automatic doors of the N.C. Children’s Hospital swoosh open, and Regina Samulski strides through in a bright blue T-shirt with the word “dancer” across the back, a souvenir from last year’s Dance Marathon.

This day, like each before it, has been a long one for Regina, a senior in high school. She wakes up at 5:30 a.m. to begin her treatment, takes two different medicines, grabs breakfast and makes it to school on time for class.

Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at age 7, Regina always has fought to be just like everyone else, said her mother, Theresa Samulski.

Regina and her family have been involved with Dance Marathon since it began at UNC in 1999. They have seen the sixth-floor video-game station and the less quantifiable benefits of the money raised by the marathon.

“As the parent of a child who’s been in and out of the hospital, I sense that many people expect it’s no big deal. You start to get the feeling that no one cares anymore,” Theresa explained. “But then there are people who are willing to stand on their feet for 24 hours for families like us.”

Alison Ross, chairwoman of the hospital committee, has come to know the Samulskis and has become their official family buddy.

“We really value our relationships with the families because it’s all about the kids,” she said.

At 5 p.m. Saturday, many of the families who have been aided by donations from Dance Marathon took center stage at the event. To Ross, it is the most gratifying hour of the 24-hour event. “It’s the best time to me — it reaffirms everything you’ve been through for the past 22 hours,” she said.

Regina has experienced the family hour from a different perspective. “Every year at family hour, it’s really touching to look out into the crowd and see most people with tears in their eyes,” she said.

Of the more than $180,000 Dance Marathon raised this year, 70 percent will be passed on to social workers, who decide based on established standards where the donation should be spent. The rest will be used on projects endorsed by the entire Marathon committee, Ross said.

That 30-percent portion is called the For the Kids Fund, and it helps with costs not covered by medical insurance. In the past, proceeds have helped families pay phone bills or occasionally substitute hospital food with a Wendy’s hamburger — something for which Rosetta Risinger is thankful.

Risinger’s daughter, 13-year-old Amanda Morphis, is in and out of the hospital so often for her cystic fibrosis treatment that she gets tired of the hospital food. Funds raised by the Marathon paid for a meal from Wendy’s for Amanda.

Inside the hospital, contributions have helped establish a video-game station, movie rentals on every floor and a playroom.

All of these improvements have given children like Regina a sense of hope again. She checks into the hospital for three to four weeks each year to receive treatment, leaving behind school work, marching band, Habitat for Humanity and her social life.

Regina handles the disruption without a glitch. “I jump right back in,” she said.

Her involvement with Dance Marathon has made Regina excited about the prospect of college. “I’ve met a bunch of college-aged people and been able to hang out with them and find out what college life is like,” she said.

Her favorite subject in school might be anatomy, but she doesn’t plan to be a doctor — Regina said she already has spent enough time in hospitals.

Sally Pinon, in attendance at Dance Marathon to support families who have been helped by the fund, said she was pleased to see so many students there. She also went to N.C. State University’s marathon earlier this month and was impressed with the support there.

“This is the one time that it doesn’t matter if you go to N.C. State or UNC, everyone’s hearts are in the same place.”

Staff Writer Allison Rose contributed to this article.

Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.