Help from the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon and the Four Diamonds Fund will come full circle for the Kirby family.

Penn State alumna Meredith Kirby danced in Thon '94 for Delta Zeta sorority as an undergraduate, and she never imagined that one day, her child would become part of the Thon family.

Now, Kirby's son Max, who will turn 3 in April, is in remission from a germ-cell tumor that she and her husband Stephen noticed last July.

"We were on vacation in England when we found a lump on Max's head," Kirby said. "The pediatrician said it was probably a bruise, but when it didn't go away, we went back to the doctor's that next Monday."

Kirby said the family was immediately referred to a doctor at the Hershey Medical Center, and the tumor was removed Sept. 1.

After four rounds of treatment, CAT scans, MRIs and numerous blood tests, Max's cancer has been recorded as being in "official remission," Kirby said.

However, Kirby said doctors and family are watching Max closely.

"It might be five years until I can breath easily," Kirby said.

She said she was a little reluctant to join the Four Diamonds Fund because there might be other children in more need than Max, but she was told that everyone treated at the medical center receives help from the fund, regardless of the cancer's severity.

Family Relations Thon Overall Chairwoman Mandy Cylc said 30 new families who have never seen Thon before will participate this year.

Kirby said Max's favorite part of being at the medical center was the child life therapist -- who is paid by the fund.

"Max wouldn't have had that experience if it wasn't for the Four Diamonds Fund," Kirby said.

Max is also the Thon child for the Penn State chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Kirby said. She added that the society's adviser, who is a close friend, asked the Kirbys to be its Thon family.

"It seemed right to be a part of Thon," Kirby said.

Kirby said Max enjoys seeing the students when they come to visit, and he called them the "big kids." He also calls them the "pizza guys," because when they came for their first visit, the pizza delivery person came at the same time, she said.

"The day after their visit, Max said, 'Mommy, want more pizza guys,' " Kirby said.

Karianne Kuhar, Penn State ASCE chapter president, said the students are excited because this is the first time the society has a Thon child.

Kuhar said the society was never constantly involved with Thon, but that is about to change.

"We really want to get more involved on a personal level," Kuhar said.

Kuhar added that this year, the group would have dancers again, which is a first in the past couple of years.

"We are trying to start a trend in the society," Sergio Briffa (senior-civil engineering) said.

Briffa is one of the society's Thon dancers, and he said that after experiencing last year's Thon, he was instantly hooked.

"To see a family go through this experience and see what we can do to help them is amazing," Briffa said.

Kirby said she is excited to attend the events during Thon weekend, and she can't wait to see her husband's reaction to Thon because he has never attended before.

"It amazing to see the other side of the fund and Thon, and see that the kids dancing and the Thon committees have a better idea now about both than years before," Kirby said.