College of Nursing Senior Dances For the Kids as DanceBlue Family Relations Chair

College of Nursing senior Drew Walls will dance his way through his last semester as family relations chair for DanceBlue, a year-long, student-run fundraiser culminating in a 24-hour dance marathon, which has raised more than $8 million for the DanceBlue Kentucky Children’s Hospital Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic since 2006.

Walls, from Lexington, grew up with a strong desire to work in health care. He originally played football for a small school in Indiana as a pre-med major, but transferred to UK after suffering a severe knee injury. His friend’s father, a nurse anesthetist, suggested Walls look into nursing. 

“I didn’t know at first where I fit in the health care professions,” Walls said. “I realized that nursing fit my niche, and that I would be able to spend time with my patients. I could go in so many directions.”

Walls found another calling in fall 2014. His interest in DanceBlue peaked sophomore year after a date with former overall DanceBlue chair and current UK College of Medicine student Claci Walls—who he fell in love with and later married in July 2015. 

“I asked her when she was preparing for DanceBlue, ‘Why are you doing this?’ and she just told me ‘You’ll get it. I promise you—you’ll dance.’”

Since then, Walls has participated in three DanceBlue marathons, last year serving on the family relations committee before taking his new leadership role. “I remember stepping on the floor for the first time in 2014. I thought, ‘I get it. It makes sense now.’ Since then, I’ve just fallen in love with it because it’s another avenue to serve—and serve some of the best kids in the world.”

As family relations chair, Drew, 22 students on his committee and 9 other chairs are allowed to visit children and families in the DanceBlue Clinic. They provide friendship and entertainment to children undergoing chemotherapy in addition to holding three parties throughout the year: a Halloween party, holiday party and a spring fling. To Wall, nursing could not have been a more perfect fit. 

“All kinds of things led me to nursing, from helping with kids camps to working as a family relations chair for DanceBlue,” said Walls. “I really fell more in love with nursing through those experiences.”

Walls has also served as a nursing care tech for UK HealthCare, where he hopes to work in the emergency department upon graduation in May. Claci, his wife, plans to work in pediatric oncology after completing med school. 

This year’s DanceBlue marathon will take place in Memorial Coliseum from 2 p.m. on Sat., Feb. 27th to 2 p.m. Sunday. The community is encouraged to come cheer on students as they take part in the marathon.

“The College of Nursing is proud to have students like Drew and the College of Nursing DanceBlue team so invested in serving others,” said Dr. Janie Heath, dean and Warwick Professor of Nursing. “I will be there in spirit on Saturday to cheer them on!”

For more information on DanceBlue, click here.

To see “Falling in Love with DanceBlue” featuring Drew and Claci, click here.