Jaguar Miracle Dance Marathon 2022 brings in $28,330 for the Children’s Hospital of Georgia

Jaguar Miracle would like to thank Augusta University and its students for their continued participation and support of Dance Marathon 2022. (photo courtesy of Peyton Dean)

By Mikaela Graf | Staff writer

Augusta University students raised $28,330 for the Children’s Hospital of Georgia at Jaguar Miracle’s annual dance marathon last Saturday, March 5.

Over 100 students gathered in the Jaguar Student Activity Center ballroom for an 8-hour marathon from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. They started the afternoon off with an introduction to their morale dance, which participants performed several times throughout the day, and a challenge to not sit for the entirety of the event.

“We are standing for the kids who can’t,” Jaguar Miracle president Peyton Dean said. “So, your feet may hurt, but at the end of the night, it’s worth it.”

Dean became president of Jaguar Miracle in December 2020, but she has been a part of the organization since her first year. This year’s event was the longest dance marathon that Augusta University has hosted thus far. Their dedication paid off this year, as they not only surpassed their goal of $25,000, but they more than doubled last year’s fundraising amount of around $13,000.

Jaguar Miracle is a part of a nationwide fundraiser, and other school’s host their own dance marathon’s that range from short two-hour shifts to 72-hour events. Dean is hopeful that the Augusta University chapter will continue to experiment and grow in the coming years.

“I’m excited to see how much they’re going to be able to grow,” Dean said. “This was just a foundation of what they can do for years to come, and I have no doubt that the program will continue to excel and be successful, and we’re just at the beginning phases of all of that.”

Throughout the event, attendees danced, played games and got to hear from several families that have received help from the Children’s Miracle network. Anna Grace Tully is one of many young adults that grew up partially in the care of Augusta’s own Children’s Hospital of Georgia, and she was excited to share her story with the students.

In April 2018, Tully learned that she had a tethered spinal cord through a long series of testing after she had a seizure a couple of months prior. She then underwent a surgery to free her spinal cord, resulting in a renewed sense of touch as her peripheral nerves began to wake up.

“There were moments that were amazing – I finally understood why my sister wanted my dad to lay in bed with her until she fell asleep,” Tully said. “But at the same time, I was experiencing a new type of pain, as well.”

Her spinal surgery was just the beginning of Tully’s medical journey at Children's Hospital. In the fall of 2018, she lost her ability to eat, and soon discovered that her stomach was paralyzed.

To get food into her system, Tully had to begin feeding from a tube that went through her nose, down her esophagus, and into her stomach. Shortly after, however, she was able to get a gastrotomy tube surgically inserted directly into her stomach, and the hospital had several workers ready to help her and her family through all of it.

“That was a very daunting experience, as a sophomore in high school,” Tully said. “But those doctors and the child life program and social workers are equipped to teach kids and their families about what they’re undertaking and about these issues.”

Through contracting COVID-19 twice, to learning firsthand how to manage an audio processing disorder in addition to everything that goes into building a custom wheelchair, Tully credits the Children’s Hospital of Georgia with giving her the attention, care and tools needed to succeed. She is now able to be a completely independent, full-time student at Taccoa Falls College in North Georgia despite her disabilities.

“The Children’s Hospital not only got me through, but they equipped me to the next step of my story,” Tully said. “And I’m there, and I’m safe, and I’m healthy, and I’m getting as better as I can get, so thank you for everything you’re doing.”

Tully’s was one of many heart-warming stories that reminded participants of what they were supporting. Members from several sororities and fraternities around campus rallied under one unifying cause: to stand for the local children who can’t stand for themselves.

Audra Holder, a member of Alpha Chi Omega, enjoyed mingling with other groups and felt touched by the notion that no one was there for their own organizational benefit.

“It’s really inspiring, because it shows that we’re doing this for a purpose,” Holder said. “Each of us have our own philanthropy, but this is for something completely different – it benefits the same thing altogether.”

Jaguar Miracle hosts several meetings and events throughout the year, and will begin planning next year’s dance marathon soon, so any students who are interest can visit augusta.presence.io/organization/jaguar-miracle-2 for more information or contact the president directly at pdean@augusta.edu.

Jaguar Miracle would like to thank Augusta University and its students for their continued participation and support of Dance Marathon 2022.

Contact Mikaela Graf at mgraf@augusta.edu.