A marketplace and a mission to save lives came together in the heart of downtown Gainesville at Miracle Market on Sunday.
Hosted by Dance Marathon at UF and the Florida Vintage Market, the event transformed Bo Diddley Plaza into a hub for local vendors, food trucks, and charitable giving – all in support of University of Florida’s Health Shands Children’s Hospital.
For Abby Ferrell, the day carried extra meaning. When Abby was 5 years old, her little brother, Nate, was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease at just 1 year old.
“The mitochondria in his body don’t produce enough energy for his body to work properly, so all of his organs are virtually affected,” Ferrell said.
Doctors told the Ferrell family that Nate wouldn’t make it to his first birthday. Then, they said he wouldn’t make it to age 3, then age 4. But year after year, Nate defied the odds. He turned 17 on Monday.
“It is something that we always kind of have to have in the back of our head of like, he’s not going to be able to play sports, he might not have a normal childhood, we don’t know if he is going to make it to his next birthday,” Ferrell said. “But he has so far, so there’s nothing really he can’t do right now.”
Through it all, music has been a constant source of strength for Nate. When he first picked up a violin at 5 years old, he gained an immediate passion for playing instruments.
“We saw that it would aid in strengthening his weak hands and help with dexterity,” Ferrell said. “He is now in the marching band at Gainesville High School, and absolutely has fallen in love with percussion.”
Nate has talked about being a music educator after he graduates high school, Ferrell said.
With Ferrell having such a personal connection to Shands, it encouraged her to get involved with UF Dance Marathon seven years ago. She is now the membership manager.
“I grew up around Dance Marathon, which is so exciting because now I get to give back to future generations,” Ferrell said. “My entire life I’ve loved bringing people in, teaching people what we do, why it’s important and now that’s my job in Dance Marathon, which is so exciting.”
Miracle Network Dance Marathon is a program of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals) and raises funds for 170 children’s hospitals that provide 38 million treatments for children across the U.S and Canada.
One hundred percent of the funds raised for Dance Marathon go toward the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, which work to support the health of 12 million children each year.
UF is just one of over 400 campuses that have Miracle Network Dance Marathons. Students like Ferrell who are involved with UF Dance Marathon see their direct impact on pediatric healthcare.
Sydney Wall, the marketing manager for UF Dance Marathon, said she is more than proud to be a part of the organization.
“You hear stories about it and it just hits home every time because everybody’s experience has been unique with our program, but every single experience has been very impactful for them,” Wall said.
“We fund beds, for example, for the parents, which you might think ‘that's not that big’, but it allows them to sleep next to their kid while they are 3 months old with a heart transplant, and they don’t want to leave the hospital.”
UF Dance Marathon’s partnership with the Florida Vintage Market allows UF Dance Marathon to reach beyond the UF campus and into the greater Gainesville community. The Miracle Market offered attendees a chance to shop small while making a big impact.
“[The Florida Vintage Market has] great community outreach, and they’re a big name in the area,” said Jessica Winograd, the Overall Partnerships Director for Dance Marathon. “To be able to collaborate with them and get our name out to not just the UF community but to the whole Gainesville community is really awesome.”
The vendors who displayed a Dance Marathon “miracle balloon” sign at their booths pledged to donate a portion of their proceeds to the cause.
“The majority of the vendors here do have the miracle balloon, which is nice to see,” Wall said. “I feel more inclined to purchase there because I’m like — obviously it's going to back partially to a cause that I hold near and dear to my heart,” Wall said.
Cody Shennett, who travels from Orlando to Gainesville to be a vendor for vintage markets each month, said that this is one of his favorite markets.
“I don't know what it is – if it's the school or just the atmosphere – but everyone is just so nice and cool.” Shennett said. “I know it goes to a good place and just you guys allowing us to come out here and make money is enough for me to want to give at least a little bit back.”
Beyond the vendors and vintage finds, Miracle Market was about the people it helped. For families like the Ferrells, those small details mean everything.
“The future does look a lot better [for Nate] than it used to, which is really exciting,” Ferrell said. “Medicine does progress.”