This weekend is the University of Kentucky's annual Dance Blue Marathon, a fundraiser to help fight pediatric cancer.

The event has special meaning for a 22 year old UK senior, Jonnie Kirkpatrick, who was treated in the Dance Blue clinic after being diagnosed with leukemia his freshman year of college.

I mean, at first you don't believe I was an 18 year old.

You think nothing's going to happen to you.

So it was very shocking.

And then shortly after, very devastating.

I was diagnosed freshman year in 2019.

I was starting out my year doing normal freshman things, trying to make friends.

Started to get sick, was urged to finally go to the doctor after trying to brush it off for a while.

Got a call from the hematology oncology department saying Go to the emergency room immediately.

I had acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The oncologist in the dance clinic heard in my case and came down and I was put in like a special young adult trial.

Dance Bloom is a student run fundraiser here at UK, where students all their efforts to raise money and ultimately a 24 hour dance marathon where they celebrate those fundraising efforts and all funds go towards dance Blue Dance, Blue Clinic.

And I was very fortunate to be placed with them because it's just such an excellent care team.

Not only the doctors and nurses, but other people that they have in that staff that like helping sort out school and stuff like that.

They made the whole experience bearable for being in the hardest time of your life.

It was a special people to be with.

I just can't imagine being treated anywhere else.

The way the treatment works.

It's kind of long.

I put it into remission within like a year or two or something, but I was still on lower dose chemotherapy for a long time, like pills at home and stuff.

I didn't do much physical activity for a year or two, and within the first month the treatment lost almost all my muscle mass just from being so sick all the time.

So it was a lot of work to get back to.

But I think being sick led me to learn a lot about taking my good health for granted.

So I try to do as much as I can now, go back to class everyday and play soccer as much as I can.

And you know, I'm starting to learn new sports as well.

Taking up volleyball, it's been a lot of fun.

I think about it more some days than others, but I'd like to think it pushes me to experience more in life and push myself to do new things and enjoy the time I have.

And sometimes I forget that.

But I try to remember as much as I can.

Don't take for granted the time you have with people.

You have certainly a good message.

This year's dance Blue Marathon will take place in Rupp Arena from Saturday evening to Sunday night, and our thanks to our intern Laurel Swan's for bringing us that story.