Editor’s Note: This is the last installment in a five-part series profiling Thon families who have benefited from the Four Diamonds Fund.

Come Sunday, seven-year-old Trent Golden will experience what could be the biggest birthday party of his life -- he'll ring in the big eight at Thon, surrounded by thousands of people.

"Right now Trent thinks [Thon is] a big birthday party, but I want him to see the big picture," Trent's mom, Tammy Golden, said.

The big picture for the Golden family is that Trent, an Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon child, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) when he was 4 years old. For the Goldens, Trent's birthday party is truly a celebration of life.

Now, in remission, this weekend also marks Trent's seventh month off treatment.

In February of 2003, Trent contracted scarlet fever, which led to two months of tests and bloodwork to determine if Trent had an infection or pneumonia. After examining test results, the Goldens' doctor decided to make a call to Hershey Medical Center.

The Goldens immediately went to Hershey Medical Center, unsure of what would happen.

"I didn't take a calling card. We had maybe $20," Tammy said. "A social worker handed me a book about childhood leukemia. We got meal tickets."

The social worker, through Four Diamonds, also gave the family a calling card since cell-phone use is prohibited in the hospital.

"That calling card on that day was probably the most important thing," Tammy said, remembering calling family from Trent's room and telling them the news.

Trent underwent six-and-a-half straight days of treatment at first. During the entire three years of treatment he lost his blonde hair two times; the first time it grew back black.

Tammy was two months pregnant with now 3-year-old Mickael Golden when Trent was diagnosed. After Mickael was born, Tammy said she had two bald boys, and at one point, "Mickael had more hair than Trent."

The Goldens are thankful for the Four Diamonds Fund because rather than worrying about the costs of treatment, they were able to focus their attention on Trent's health.

Today, after three years of 40-minute drives -- that become 30-minute drives if Trent had a fever -- from York to Hershey Medical Center, and days spent in the hospital, treatment is complete, though Trent goes to monthly check-ups.

Now Trent's mess of golden hair is back, and his life is back to being a "pretty much typical boy" who loves to "roll around and fight" with his little brother. But Tammy said Trent does remember treatment even though he's just now beginning to understand what it was.

"He didn't know it was cancer until a few months ago. He thought it was a common cold," Trent's dad, Mark Golden, said.

Surprisingly, most of Trent's memories about treatment are good memories, since Hershey Medical Center has a room for kids equipped with games, toys and TVs.

"[Trent would say,] 'I don't wanna go home. We don't have air hockey at my house,' " Mark remembers, laughing.

Mark and Tammy do have some more somber memories -- those that stick in Tammy's mind are ones of holding Trent down to get shots.

"He's experienced so many disappointments in his life," she said. "When he's an adult, he's gonna be like 'bring it on!' "

Mark agrees.

"I said, 'Trent, you're gonna be a better man than me.' He's like, 'Why, Daddy?' ... It will make him a better person," he said.

In the short term, the Goldens can't wait for their third -- and certainly not their last -- Thon.

"[My favorite part is] when they do, like, they put the powder on the floor and slide," Trent said.

This year, Trent is going to participate in the slides. He wanted to slide last year, but he still had a Mediport in.

Trent loves playing with the squirt guns, Tammy said.

"[The dancers] get my kids so wound up," she said.

Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority are the Goldens' Adopt-A-Family organizations.

Mark remembers Trent talking about one of the Penn State students and telling his dad, "He's gonna be a great dad" someday.

"The kids from Penn State are like my kids, but I didn't have to pay for them," Tammy said with a chuckle.

Even after Thon, the Goldens keep in touch with the organizations. Mark and Tammy invited the groups to attend Trent's "end of treatment celebration" pool party on the day he took his last chemo pill.

Though this weekend's festivities won't involve Trent's favorite sport, swimming, Trent and his family are anxiously anticipating Thon.

"I don't know how to describe [Thon]," Tammy said. "The only thing I can say is 'Wow' ... all this is for me -- my kid."