Trisha Fitzgerald has many valid points ("Too many participate in Thon to follow the 'fad,'" Feb. 23) in her argument about the reasons people attend and participate in Thon.

But I think it is important to remember that by categorizing those people, you disregard the vast majority of people involved who are not at Thon for themselves.

There may be many people who have lost sight of the goal of Thon, which is to raise money for Four Diamonds families and to help children with cancer.

However, there are many more people who are more interested in the kids.

Those people visit kids after chemotherapy sessions, send cards on holidays and birthdays, provide emotional support for families and organize fun events for the kids to participate in leading up to Thon.

They don't ask for anything in return.

Thon is something the kids look forward to, they look forward to seeing their Penn State friends, and they look forward to having a fun break from cancer.

Anyone who has experienced cancer in a close relative, friend or themselves can understand how much these kids have to go through.

The kids inspire so many students to keep going at Thon.

They remind us that there will be good times again, things will get better. The kids are what Thon is all about. The people that don't realize this fact don't really matter.