Finding Harmony: Music comforts child cancer patient
Gen. John A. Logan, the founder of Memorial Day, once said, “Music’s the medicine of the mind.” For 10-year-old Aidan Knox of Bentleyville, this really is the case.
On Sept. 21, 2012, at the age of 9, Knox was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer that affects about one out of every 3 million children. Because his chemotherapy treatments forced him into isolation, Aidan and his family found music to be a way to connect with the outside world and help heal.
“My wife and I have always loved music. Music has gotten me, in particular, and my wife as well, through a lot of hard times,” said Lance Knox, Aidan’s father.
The family decided to open a Youtube account and ask musicians across the globe to record music videos and messages for Aidan and upload them to the account in the hope of providing an uplifting experience for their son.
In the same vein as the Youtube account, the Knox family is planning a fundraiser to take place 2-6:30 p.m. Sunday at Christian Klay Winery in Chalk Hill.
As part of the event, the family decided to ask three musicians who have touched their lives to perform in hopes of raising money for various programs at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.
Performing will be Jim Boggia, Tracy Grammer and Brandon Schott.
“I had reached out to our favorite musician, Jim Boggia, to use his song ‘Live the Proof,'” said Lance Knox. “You can’t change that Aidan has cancer, but you can change how we get through this. Yes, he has cancer, but we can do something positive for this.”
Grammer has a special place in the family’s heart because it was her song “Kate and the Ghost of Lost Love” that Tracey Knox, Aidan’s mother, used to sing to him while she was pregnant. It was also this same song that would often help stabilize Aidan’s heartrate when he was in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) when he was born with a blood clot over his kidney.
Schott has more in common with the Knox family than just music. His song “Turning Toward the Sun” was written when he was in remission from stomach cancer.
“I wanted to get a song for Aidan that (says) cancer isn’t a death sentence. You can overcome,” said Lance Knox.
“A lot of guests won’t be familiar with the music and the artists, but for us it is an all star lineup,” he added. “We know they (the musicians) will make a lot of fans by the end of the afternoon.”
For anyone who is unable to make the event and see the musicians perform live, digital downloads of “Songs for Aidan (Volume 1)” and “Songs for Aidan (Volume 2)” can be found at songsforaidan.bandcamp.com/album/songs-for-aidan-volume-2 and songsforaidan.bandcamp.com/album/songs-for-aidan-volume-1.
A limited number of CDs will be available for purchase at the event.
In addition to the performances, the event will feature free wine-tasting, a donation-based wine bar, cheese, crackers and light appetizers.
The money that is raised through the “Songs for Aidan” fundraiser will be used to support Aidan’s favorite programs at the children’s hospital including art, music and pet therapy programs.
While Aidan is in remission and enjoying going to school every day as a fifth-grade student, the family hopes the event not only raises funds for the programs that are close to their heart but also serves as a celebration.
“For us, it is a celebration. It is our chance to celebrate how amazing he did (during) his treatment. We want this to be a celebration of Aidan and a celebration of his journey and how great he did and to kick off the next phase of our life, whatever that holds,” said Lance Knox. “He (Aidan) has scans in December and we are trying to pack in as much fun as we can. If they are clear, then we have three more months where we don’t have to worry.”
Tickets for the event are being sold in advance at live-the-proof.com and will be sold at the door.