Don White to headline thymoma benefit concert

In the spring of 2011, Bill Connors was training for his 11^th marathon when he began experiencing chest pain and decided to visit the emergency room.

Don White (Larry Peplin photo)

Although x-rays quickly ruled out heart trouble as the cause, the ensuing tests revealed an unexpected and very frightening diagnosis: malignant thymoma, a form of cancer originating in the thymus gland that is both rare and currently incurable.

Needless to say, his marathon plans had to be put on hold as he prepared for a different kind of journey, one marked by grueling chemotherapy treatments and major surgeries, with no discernible finish line in sight.

Nearly three years and several treatments later, the Needham father of three is recovering well and even back running again — and now his family is doing its part in the quest to find a cure.

On Saturday, March 15, Connors’ siblings, including Canton resident Christa Kelleher, will host a thymoma benefit concert at the Norwood Theatre featuring local folk singer and comedian Don White.

Guests will be treated to an “unforgettable performance” and a “terrific” raffle and silent auction, with all proceeds benefiting the Cadorette Fund for Thymoma Research at Mass. General Hospital.

The MGH Cadorette Fund is the only one of its kind in the U.S., according to Kelleher. “It targets thymoma, which, as it progresses, spreads throughout the chest cavity, attacking the lungs and heart,” she said. “Eventually it can spread to the bones.”

The fund was established in 2001 in honor of Michelle Cadorette, a Massachusetts native and former high school teacher and coach who passed away last August following a 14-year battle with thymoma.

To date, the Cadorette Fund has raised over $125,000, a sizable portion of which has come from the efforts of her former students at Trinity and Bow high schools in New Hampshire. The fund has since established the only malignant thymoma tissue bank in the world, which collects samples for study and research in an effort to discover a cure.

The fund has also been used to create a website, www.thymomahope.org, which offers resources for those living with thymoma as well as “stories of hope” — including one by Bill Connors.

In addition to detailing his cancer treatments, Connors writes about his experience at the Purple Ribbon Mother’s Day 5K, an annual charity run held in Bow, New Hampshire, to benefit the Cadorette Fund. Connors and his team of “IncrediBills” have participated in the run over the past two years.

Bill Connors and Michelle Cadorette

“Those in the shirts are only some of the many who continually prayed, emailed, cooked meals, mowed the lawn, took care of the kids, and talked and walked with me through this past year,” Connors wrote. “It was great to connect with [Cadorette] and her parents while being able to finish a 5K — just ahead of my trash-talking 12-year-old son.”

“I am grateful to all of my relatives and friends who support me and my family,” he added. “You are actually the incredible ones! This journey reminds me how truly blessed I am.”

Kelleher said she and her siblings feel equally blessed to have a brother like Bill, and they are determined to do what they can to help find a cure, starting with next Saturday’s benefit concert and what they hope will be a sizable donation to the Cadorette Fund.

As Kelleher noted on her fundraising page at massgeneral.org, “This benefit concert is our way of investing in Bill’s recovery while saying thank you to [Cadorette] and her family.”

The evening promises to be both “heartwarming and hilarious,” and every dollar raised will go directly to thymoma research at MGH.

“We are hoping to get many friends and supporters from Canton and the surrounding towns to come join us and celebrate Bill and his courageous battle,” Kelleher said.

The Don White Concert for a Cure (21+) will start at 8 p.m. on March 15 with a silent auction beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are $22 and can be purchased from the Norwood Theatre box office in person or by phone at 781-551-9000. To purchase tickets online or to make a donation to the Cadorette Fund, go to fundraise.massgeneral.org/christa-kelleher.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Mar 6 2014. Filed under News. Both comments and pings are currently closed.