On Sunday, THON 2025 Family Hour began with a speech from Stacia Bird, the daughter of Four Diamonds founder Charles Millard. Bird shared how this year’s theme of “Home For Hope” goes beyond the idea of home simply being a place, and rather the union of community for a common cause.

“I love this year’s theme, because it goes beyond the idea of home is just a place. It’s about coming together as a family, united in a common cause, fighting for a cure,” Bird explained. “Here we have established a shared consciousness, a solidarity towards a mission that transcends our egos, our opinions, and are instead united in love for a singular purpose.”

Bird’s brother, Christopher, lost his battle with cancer in 1972 at 14 years old. Bird has honored Christopher’s legacy through her involvement in father’s organization. She ended her speech with thanking everyone involved in making this weekend possible, and how her father, who passed in 2021 at the age of 93, would be proud of the home that THON continues to be today.

“My dad was your biggest fan. This was home for him then, and it is home for him now. And now I come every year, along with my family to revel in the magic that is you, and the home that is THON,” Bird said.

After Bird’s introduction, the family procession began. Four Diamonds families were escorted across the THON stage, where they were recognized by the Bryce Jordan Center crowd. Met with resounding cheers from the organizations scattered throughout the stadium, each family received their rightful moment to be honored by the rest of the THON community.

Following the procession, the Kionne Abrams family shared its story first. Alyssa Abrams, Kionne’s mother, introduced him to the BJC crowd. Alyssa explained how Kionne’s story is different from most other Four Diamond families, and really began in September 2021 when he moved to State College to attend Park Forest Elementary. At the time, Alyssa was the school’s psychologist and was notified of Kionne’s arrival due to him being in the foster system.

Alyssa was also notified that Kionne needed some extra help in school, and began spending time doing one-on-one testing with him. In order to complete the needed paperwork, Alyssa had to access his medical records, and she explained how she discovered that Kionne was diagnosed with Burkitt leukemia at four years old, a highly aggressive form of cancer that originates from the B cells.

“It took months of phone calls to track down Kionne’s medical records. As a millennial, I faced a big challenge with how to use a fax machine. After its trial and error, I finally received 107 pages of medical records for Kionne,” Alyssa said. “The record said that Kionne had intensive multi-aging chemotherapy for eight months, which tackled the rapid tumor.”

Alyssa immediately made sure Kionne’s cancer history was documented and got him the academic support he needed. However, in 2022, Kionne’s foster care placement decided to no longer pursue custody. Alyssa knew she needed to do something, and decided to take Kionne in herself.

“I couldn’t let this kid move again. We sat there heartbroken, contemplating what this upheaval would mean,” Allyssa said. “That’s when I called my husband, Dylan, and blurted out ‘Hey, can I bring a kid home?’ Dylan said ‘Sure’, and that’s when I knew our lives would change forever.”

The Abrams family officially adopted Kionne on July 6, 2024. Once Kionne was under Alyssa and Dylan’s care, he started receiving his survivorship care, and after multiple scans and tests, it was confirmed by doctors that Kionne has been in remission since 2016.

A Penn State graduate and THON participant herself, Alyssa shared her gratitude for the THON community, especially Zionne’s paired orgs of ZBT and Tri Sigma. Alyssa ended her speech by thanking each and every THON volunteer for their unwavering support, and how they make kids like Zionne feel loved, appreciated, and seen.

“We can’t begin to tell you how much it means to be paired with our organizations. We belong to something magical, something that makes a well-deserving kid feel seen, supported and treasured,” Alyssa said. “I get an indescribable feeling whenever we are with ZBT and Tri Sigma, when I look around at this community celebrating my son, the tremendous joy on his face, I know that THON is a home for hope because of all of you.”

Next, the Noah Frey family took the stage. Cayla Frey, Noah’s mother, shared that Noah’s cancer journey began in 2023 when Noah was only 2 and a half years old.

It started when Noah was not feeling well, so they took him to the local urgent care, where physicians said that it looked like he was showing signs of an ear infection. However, over the next two weeks, his symptoms worsened, including poor sleep, fevers, and bruises.

After another round of doctors, the Frey family was told that Noah’s bone marrow was not making blood cells the way it needed to. Cayla explained that this was the first time leukemia was mentioned, and after a bone transplant, this worse-case scenario was turned into an earth-shattering reality.

“Hearing the word leukemia for the first time was shocking. I felt numb as we sat there and listened to them tell us what the next steps would be. Noah had B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and his treatment would start the very next day,” Cayla explained.

After his diagnosis, Noah started his chemotherapy treatments, which took a physical toll on Noah, as well as a mental toll on the family. Through it all, Cayla still highlights how Noah managed to persist through each hardship smiling, inspiring the rest of the family to adopt this positive attitude too.

“After 12 days in the hospital, we were sent home with an overwhelming amount of new information, medications, precautions, fears, and anxieties. The following weeks and months were brutal. Noah went through several phases of treatment. There were times he was very nauseous, his appetite would decrease, and eventually, he lost his hair,” Cayla said. “Despite everything he had to endure, Noah did with a smile on his face. This encouraged us as a family to do the same.”

Noah is set to take his last treatment on April 3, 2025. Cayla ended her speech by expressing her overwhelming gratitude for THON and all those involved with this life-changing organization. Ever since learning about Four Diamonds during their first hospital visit for Noah, THON has played a major role at the center of the Frey family’s life.

“Hearing that all of Noah’s treatments will be covered by four diamonds was such a huge weight lifted off of our shoulders, and we were able to focus all of our attention on Noah getting better. It has been one of the biggest blessings for our family,” Cayla said. “We wanted to thank you for all of the work and time you all put into THON. You are changing lives and making such a difference for families like ours.”

Next, a “Where Are They Now” video played throughout the BJC, highlighting what various THON kids are up to, including their favorite THON memories and a personal message to all THON volunteers. aspirations and passions.

To close out the speeches of Family Hour, Amy and the rest of the Hutson family took the stage to share Joseph Hutson’s story. Before starting her speech, Amy, Joe’s sister, asked the entire BJC to hold up their diamonds.

She started the speech by describing Joe as her rambunctious older brother, who loved being outdoors, was a gifted artist, and loved to fish. The summer after Joe began urinating blood, the Hutson family’s world turned upside down.

Originally, the family just thought it was simply a kidney stone, but after a C-T scan, a mass was found that completely encased his kidney.

Joseph was later diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma, a cancer typically only found in men over 50, with limited protocol for a pediatric cancer case. Before undergoing immediate surgery to remove the affected kidney, Amy said how Joe remained himself even in the face of the uncertainty.

“The biggest thing I remember him saying was he just wanted to get it over with so he could fix his Firebird and go for a drive,” Amy shared.

After an 8-and-a-half-hour surgery, the doctors removed the main tumor but were unsure if the cancer had spread to Joe’s liver. Joe then started an experimental treatment called Interleukin, which unfortunately did not work against Joe’s cancer. Each new treatment that Joe tried failed, and after returning from a Make-A-Wish sponsored trip to Hawaii, Amy described how the family was told news no family ever wants to hear.

“As we waited for Dr Unger, we were all quiet. He came in and without too much hesitation, he told us, there’s nothing else that we can do. Everyone but Joe was crying,” Amy said. “He just looked down and up and he said, ‘Here y’all go again, bawling over me.'”

Joe fought hard in his last few months, never stopping being himself. Amy described how he was the glue that kept their family together, and through all of his hardships, he always seemed to put others first.

After a defiant battle, Joe passed on July 12, 2000, or as Amy puts it, won his battle.

“He won his battle with cancer on July 12, 2000. I say won because he took out his cancer,” Amy said. “His cancer couldn’t live without him, so he won.”

Amy ended her speech by sharing what THON means to her and her family in terms of remembering Joe and his legacy. She thanked every volunteer, dancer, student, and spectator for all that they do For The Kids.

“I can’t tell you how much pride it gives me to see his face on that big screen every year. Thank you, dancers, students, and everyone that makes this weekend possible,” Amy said. “I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

To wrap up Family Hour, the THON Weekend 2025 “Celebration Of Life” video was played to honor and remember the Four Diamonds children who lost their lives in their battle with cancer. The entire BJC was linked arm in arm, slowly swaying as each name and photo was displayed.