THON Spotlight: The Gabrielle Chapman Family

As THON weekend of 2025 has come to an end, VALLEY highlights the incredible Chapman family story.

The Chapman family has been supported by THON as a Four Diamonds family since 2005, where at 2 years old Gabrielle Chapman received her diagnosis of Medulloblastoma, brain cancer. The brain tumor was growing at the base of her cerebellum, the only option was to take out the tumor and start chemo treatments.

During Gabrielle’s time at the PICU, an oncology social worker told the Chapman family about the Four Diamonds organization. Four Diamonds was able to support the Chapman family during treatment and also help pay for gas to the hospital and phone cards.

Since then, Four Diamonds has paid for Gabrielle’s visits with multiple specialists she had seen due to chemo complications and for regular visits that include an eye doctor, a hearing doctor and a psychological neurologist. Gabrielle’s last treatment was in June of 2006, and she celebrated being 18 years cancer-free last June.

THON has meant the world to the Chapmans as they have attended every year! Next year will be their 20th time attending THON!

The exhaustion is worth it…Seeing the dancers dance for 46 hours is really meaningful and always has been and always will.

-Gabrielle Chapman

The family has experienced a lot at THON, having been there 19 times. In 2019, the Chapmans were close with their dancers so they stayed for 42 out of 46 hours to support them. In 2017, Gabrielle donated her hair on stage. During THON this year, they got to share an elevator ride with The Fray, the band that performed as the national act.

Elizabeth Chapman [Gabrielle’s older sister], has one moment in particular that stands out. “When everyone stands up you never don’t get goosebumps and it happens every single time, I never get tired of that feeling,” Elizabeth said. “You would think it would fade after a while but it just doesn’t.”

For the Chapmans, THON is a place that knows no judgment and has been the beginning to new friendships.

This is the place where no one judges you, and to experience THON every year together feels like Christmas too, because this is our family.

Elizabeth Chapman

The Chapman family always goes above and beyond to support THON, even before the weekend. They attend the THON 5k and the THON football game. The family also attends the events of their THON partner, the Harrisburg campus, to help raise money for the cause.

“We do THON nights with our org in Harrisburg, which is always really fun,” Gabrielle said.

The Chapmans like participating in the THONsgiving and Christmas night. In the past, the family also helped raise money by canning with the Harrisburg branch campus.

Elizabeth and Gabrielle shared their mutual feelings on experiencing survivors’ guilt and how THON has been a place where they can not just share those feelings but also connect with people who also have them.

As a survivor sister, Elizabeth feels so connected to THON because she can come back to a place where people understand her without feeling judgment and experience that magic every year.