02/11/2026
Meet Braden Cotton, Director of Internal Operations, Public Relations, and Hospital Relations for Dance Thunder and a nursing major at St. Mary’s School of Nursing through Marshall University.
Braden’s involvement in Dance Thunder is deeply personal.
In April 2024, Braden’s fiancée, Alex, was diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma, a rare and aggressive form of pediatric cancer. Her treatment began at Hoops Family Children's Hospital at Cabell Huntington Hospital, where she received care through August 2024 before entering remission. Throughout her treatment, Braden stayed with her each night in the hospital, forming close relationships with patients, families, and staff who quickly became a community.
During that time, moments of normalcy mattered. Alex and Braden’s high school administration and superintendent even came to Hoops Family Children’s Hospital to host a graduation ceremony, ensuring milestones were not lost to illness.
Alex’s treatment followed a demanding cycle, one week in the hospital receiving chemotherapy followed by two weeks at home. In February 2025, she relapsed and returned to Hoops for treatment. By June 2025, she entered remission again and became eligible for a stem cell transplant at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Alex began her transplant in August 2025. Braden remained with her in Philadelphia until the start of nursing school required him to return home. From then on, he drove eight hours each way every weekend until Alex returned home in November 2025.
That experience reshaped Braden’s future.
Originally planning to pursue journalism, he chose nursing after witnessing firsthand the impact nurses had on patients and families facing unimaginable circumstances. He saw how presence, care, and advocacy could change lives during the hardest moments.
Before Alex’s transplant, Braden and Emily Price, Executive Director of Dance Thunder, hosted a live swab event with the National Marrow Donor Program at Marshall University in Alex’s honor. When Emily later approached Braden about taking on a leadership role within Dance Thunder, he did not hesitate.
Braden chose leadership because he wanted to be part of the team raising funds and awareness for children with cancer. While training to become a nurse, Dance Thunder became the way he could support pediatric patients now, not someday.
“Dance Thunder represents a community standing behind kids with cancer in our own city,” Braden shared. “If those kids can endure what they do, then we owe it to them to do our jobs.”
For Braden, Dance Thunder is about ensuring children and families know they are not alone. It is about raising awareness that pediatric cancer is happening right here in Huntington, just blocks away from Marshall University’s campus.
If children can do hard things, Braden believes he owes it to them to try.
Braden’s story reflects the heart of Dance Thunder. Leadership grounded in compassion, advocacy shaped by experience, and a commitment to showing up for those who need it most.
To learn more about Dance Thunder and how you can support children and families receiving cancer care at Hoops Family Children’s Hospital, visit https://mhnfoundations.org/initiatives/dance-thunder/.
