There is a new face of courage, and it can barely see over a podium.

At Thursday night’s Road to THON Celebration Dinner, Joey Setlock, 11, straightened his tie as he approached the stage to the beat of polite applause.

A young boy would be speaking to a crowd of hundreds of students, THON corporate sponsors and Four Diamonds families. Several audience members braced – the boy was sure to panic in front of such a situation.

Joey had no such plans.

Less than a minute after being introduced, Joey began telling the crowd all about his battle with Burkitt’s lymphoma. And I mean ALL about it.

With the wisdom, poise and bravery that comes from many years more than Joey has lived, he spoke about his treatment, the days he spent in the hospital, his longing to spend time with his best friend and younger brother Mike.

He spoke of his first THON, in 2006, and how much he loved going at 2 a.m., when most children his age would rather be fast asleep. His reason? He, the victim of a nasty illness, wanted to support the college students dancing.

He spoke of August 2006, after 90 days in the hospital and eight months of treatment, when he heard the news of the miracle: “You beat cancer.”

Joey now has a new appreciation for life (Did I mention he is not yet a teenager?) and plans to live his to the fullest. He is a bike-riding, Tony Hawk-meeting, golfing second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and he is just getting started.

“Thanks to you, I can think about coming to Penn State and studying to be a veterinarian. Thanks to you, I don’t have to worry about cancer.”

There wasn’t a dry eye in all of Innovation Park.

Most of us at the dinner would have been petrified to speak to a crowd of that size.

Most of us would stutter, sweat and throw in a pack of “ums” to every sentence.

Most of us would not speak about our personal medical struggles.

Most of us are far less brave than an 11-year-old boy.

THON 2010 is 18 days away, and you can bet Joey will be there in the middle of the night, supporting those who supported him in his darkest hour.

He’ll be supporting the children who still struggle with their cancer battles. He’ll be supporting the families of children who will never be able to attend another THON.

Won’t you join him?

As massive as THON is, as many millions of dollars as it will surely raise, it still needs your support. Another dime in a can or another voice in the crowd can make that much of a difference.

Maybe that difference will be enough aid to give another Joey Setlock a new chance at life.

Any maybe, just maybe, that little bit of a difference will be enough of a boost of courage for next year’s Joey Setlock to stand up before a crowd of hundreds and tell his or her story.