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March 21, 2024

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Spring Housing Guide

Past Miracle Child still cares for DM

Ready.

Aim.

Fire.

Using the back of his wheelchair as a shield, 12-year-old Nathan Watt pulls the trigger on his squirt gun, giving unsuspecting Dance Marathon participants a cold shower. If he’s lucky, they’ll be unarmed. But more than once he was caught in the line of fire by water guns more powerful than the handheld pink and green ones he clutched.

But despite a soaked T-shirt and cargo pants, this Miracle Child continues to come back for more–after he reloads his weapons, of course.

It’s with this same determination and excitement that Nathan, one of the children sponsored in last year’s Marathon, approached the opportunity to return this year as an “alumnus.”

Though Nathan’s noticed some changes this year, including a longer line dance and more squirt guns within reach, there’s one thing that hasn’t changed, he said–the dedication of participants.

“The best thing is that college students are taking time for the kids,” he said. “They could be doing anything in the world right now … but they’re here for us. That why I came here, because they help us. I want to give back to the community that gives to me.”

Born with Spina Bifida, Nathan has endured 32 surgeries, the first of which occurred when he was three days old.

According to the Spina Bifida Association of America, this condition is the most common Neural Tube Defect (NTD) and affects one out of every 1,000 newborns in the United States. It results from the failure of the spine to close properly during the first month of pregnancy.

Nathan’s case, however, was not so common.

“His was a fatty, benign tumor in the spinal column where the spinal cord went out into the spinal column,” said Keith Watt, Nathan’s father, in an interview at last year’s Marathon. “His was a real rare type.”

But the past year has been a healthy one for Nathan, Keith said, with only one minor surgery in September.

Even though Nathan’s not being financially sponsored this year, he and sisters McKenzie, 8 and Hannah, 6, were ready to return for more fun at the University’s Dance Marathon. Even their parents joined in, with mother Diana salsa dancing on stage with Marathon volunteers.

Toledo natives, the Watt family has also participated in the University of Toledo’s Dance Marathon in the past, but the University’s Marathon stands out among the rest, Keith said.

“Nobody can imagine how much goes on,” he said. “The BG kids go far beyond the call of duty. They make sure that not only are the kids [sponsored] from this year taken care of, but they invite kids from previous years to come back and participate.”

According to Nathan, friendship is something that’s hard to come by when you’re sick. So when the opportunity for kids to make lasting friendships arises–like he did at last year’s event–you just have to take it, he said.

“For some kids, they don’t have the chance to make a lot of friends because they spend most of their time in the hospital,” he said. “But when they can come to Dance Marathon, they can meet friends that they’ll have for the rest of their life. They can see that there are kids just like them having fun.”

And for those kids who may be worried about not being “well enough” to participate in their first Dance Marathon, Nathan offers a few words of advice.

“Have fun, lay back and enjoy yourself,” he said. “Just have fun because if you get sick everyone will take care of you.”

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