Sunday’s letters: Docs Who Rock
Doctors step out of the emergency room and on to stage for ‘Docs Who Rock’ benefit
Spartanburg Herald Journal
By Chris Lavender
Staff Writer
Posted Mar 9, 2019 at 8:53 PM Updated Mar 9, 2019 at 8:53 PM
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Dr. Octavia Amaechi took center stage Saturday night, showing off her vocal skills at the Docs Who Rock fundraiser held at Wofford College to benefit the Children’s Cancer Partners of the Carolinas.
Amaechi was among nine local doctors who participated. Each doctor was paired with a band to perform a variety of songs. Amaechi joined the Rock and Roll Reunion to kick off the night before a crowd of nearly 2,000 people. When she is not singing hits by Tina Turner or The Blues Brothers, Amaechi is a hospitalist with Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System.
Growing up in church, Amaechi started singing solos in the choir at age 9. She’s always looking to share her love for singing with others.
“As long as I can remember, I have enjoyed using my gifts and talents,” Amaechi said in a brief interview before the show started. “To be part of this event is a real blessing. It’s something to really get excited about. When children hurt, it makes me hurt, because we were all children once and children are something we can get behind.”
The event was presented by Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System and hosted by the Spartanburg County Medical Society Alliance with the support of the Spartanburg County Medical Society. Each band performed several hits at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
For the opening act, all of the doctors joined each other on stage and performed Queen’s hit “We Will Rock You.” That song set the tone for the rest of the evening, building the excitement.
PHOTOS: Docs Who Rock at the Richardson Indoor Stadium
Dr. Joseph Boscia performed lead vocals and guitar in his band Missing Monday. He’s a pulmonologist at Spartanburg Medical Center. Throughout the year, Boscia’s band does special performances for families and their children facing health issues.
“The kids and families always appreciate it so much when you meet with them,” he said. “I am a rock star who just happens to be a doctor. It’s so thrilling to be up on stage.”
Missing Monday wowed the crowd with hits from Billy Joel, Blondie and Tom Petty.
Rock concert raising money for Upstate children with cancer
WSPA STAFF
Posted: Mar 08, 2019 10:29 AM EST
Updated: Mar 08, 2019 10:29 AM EST
Spartanburg, SC (WSPA-TV) – It’s a rock concert to benefit children with cancer and their families.
Docs that Rock happens at the Jerry Richardson indoor stadium at Wofford College March 9 to benefit Children’s Cancer Partners of the Carolinas.
Executive Director Laura Allen said 9 doctors will trade in their medical tools for musical instruments to perform as a part of 7 rock bands.
Allen said the event helps local children, more than 600 served by Children’s Cancer Partners of the Carolinas.
She said some families can’t get life saving treatment close by in Spartanburg County but have to travel long distances in some cases, which can disrupt family life. Allen said they help them afford what they need to be able to live life.
The event is presented by Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System and hosted by the Spartanburg County Medical Society Alliance.
Doors open at 6 and concert starts at 7 and find tickets at Childrenscancerpartners.org
Docs Who Rock concert to benefit Children’s Cancer Partners of the Carolinas
GoUpstate.com
Dr. Melinda Moretz has been practicing family medicine for more than 30 years, but there’s another side of her that might surprise many of her patients at Palmetto Proactive Healthcare in Spartanburg.
In her spare time, Moretz can often be seen belting out classic rock tunes as a vocalist for a band called Missing Monday, whose lineup also includes another local physician, pulmonologist Dr. Joe Boscia, on lead guitar and vocals.
“I guess everybody has hobbies, and mine is music,” Moretz said. “It’s therapeutic.”
Missing Monday and six other bands — each of which features at least one medical doctor — will take the stage during Docs Who Rock, a unique concert event being held at 7 p.m. Saturday at Wofford College’s Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg.
Presented by Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System and hosted by the Spartanburg County Medical Society Alliance, with the support of the Spartanburg County Medical Society, the concert will offer attendees a rare glimpse of area doctors’ talents beyond typical exam rooms and hospital corridors. Proceeds will benefit the Children’s Cancer Partners of the Carolinas, whose mission is to provide comprehensive support and loving compassion to families whose children are battling cancer.
“It’s really heartbreaking seeing what these children and their families have to go through, so I’m happy to do whatever we can to help,” said Moretz, who is a Children’s Cancer Partners of the Carolinas board member in addition to being president-elect of the Spartanburg County Medical Society.
Missing Monday also includes keyboardist Chris Bryant, rhythm guitarist Ray Dunleavy, drummer Matt Roper and bassist Henry Stein, the latter of whom is involved in the medical field as a radiology technician.
“We got together about eight years ago, and each one of these guys is very talented,” said Moretz, a Savannah, Ga., native who moved to Spartanburg in 1985. “We’ve played around town mostly at RJ Rockers for fundraisers, and we played Music on Main a couple of years ago.”
Compared to the longevity of Missing Monday, Dr. Aaron Toler’s band is like a newborn baby coming out of the womb.
Toler, who has been practicing as a physician with Carolina Obstetrics and Gynecology for the last 20 years, only recently put together The Cradle Rockers with the sole purpose of having a band with which to perform at Docs Who Rock.
The band, whose music is described by Toler as “indie folk-rock,” is rounded out by guitarist Tad Taylor, vocalist Lindsay Bennett-Fluckiger and drummer Isaiah Mabry.
“I’ve been wanting to put a band together and this (event) was a great excuse for it,” said Toler, who played in bands during his college days but left his musical pursuits behind once his professional career got going. “And since I’m the doc who maybe doesn’t rock, I had to pull in some local heavy-hitter talent.”
In the past few months, the Cradle Rockers have played a handful of times at such venues as RJ Rockers and Delaney’s Irish Pub.
“If I could be Dave Matthews, I think I’d leave my job. I’m teasing, of course,” said Toler, who grew up in Mobile, Ala., and whose wife, Kim, is also an OB/GYN. “But music is just such a great escape. And it’s just so different from medicine, which is so left-brain whereas music is so right-brain.”
Other bands participating in the Docs Who Rock concert are Rock and Roll Reunion (Dr. Octavia Amaechi); The Oys (Dr. Stephen Gorin); Off the Wall (Dr. Michael Hood) ; The Rent (Dr. Matthew Lambert); and Jam Side Up (Dr. Troy McKinney, who will be joined by his brother, Dr. James McKinney of Charleston).
Allen said Children’s Cancer Partners has helped the families of approximately 150 children in Spartanburg County alone in the last 18 years. And since expanding its footprint to include the entirety of North and South Carolina, the organization now works with the families of more than 600 children in active treatment.
“What we do is make sure that children battling cancer have access to the care they need and that they can get to their treatment facilities wherever they are,” Allen said. “There is no cancer treatment facility in Spartanburg County for children, so they have to go to places like Greenville or Charlotte (N.C.) and often to distant places like Sloan Kettering in New York or the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
“All of that traveling can get expensive, and if you’re a two-income household, most times one person has to stop working to be the caregiver to the child with cancer. … We work hard to provide not only financial support but also to be a part of the families and essentially wrap them with hope and love throughout the cancer journey.”
Allen said Docs Who Rock will also include a silent auction and that the event is the largest fundraiser ever held in benefit of Children’s Cancer Partners of the Carolinas.
Sunday’s letters: Docs Who Rock
Go for the gold! We often hear this during the Olympics. However, for children fighting cancer, “gold” is a symbol of hope. On March 9, physicians in Spartanburg County will take the inspiration from these courageous children and “go for the gold.”
Teaming with Children’s Cancer Partners of the Carolinas (CCP) and Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, physician-musicians (as well as a few friends) will provide hope and support through Docs Who Rock Spartanburg. The event will fill the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium at Wofford College with music by seven bands that feature physicians.
Our motivation is huge: Cancer is the leading cause of death, by disease, in America, claiming one in eight who are diagnosed. The odds are worse if a child lives in poverty or in rural areas. Spartanburg will experience a dozen more children diagnosed each year, joining over 150 who are battling the disease already.
The numbers are scary. Unfortunately, the cost of creating pediatric oncology in Spartanburg County is not attainable. Therefore, our families must travel for treatment. Children become “road warriors,” logging hundreds of miles for radiation or chemotherapy. Many journeys are to New York, Philadelphia or beyond for specialized treatments or clinical trials.
The toll on families is tremendous. A parent may have to leave work. While income plummets, expenses soar, leading to a rise in emotional strain in an already stressful time. Possible eviction or repossession notices create more strife. The burden on single parents is often worse.
We can help. CCP comes alongside families throughout this perilous journey, helping with travel, food, lodging and home care. If the ultimate tragedy occurs, CCP assists with final arrangements.
Please help our children! Support our Docs Who Rock event for these brave children. Come out and join! Ticket information can be found at ChildrensCancerPartners.org.
Jeff Cashman, president, Spartanburg County Medical Society; Peggy Pitts, president, Spartanburg County Medical Society Alliance