For teens with cancer, the ages between 13-18 are a time of transition to adulthood, but during treatment, most hospitals don’t have a place for them to hang out and just be teenagers. For that reason, Teen Cancer America (TCA) has partnered with legendary rock band The Who’s “Who Cares” charity (and with hospitals throughout the U.S.) to develop specialized facilities and services for teens and young adults with cancer.
To help raise money for the organization, the popular local group the Deacon Blues Band is putting on a benefit concert in The Palms Lounge at Peabody’s Billiards & Games (15333 Amberly Dr. in Tampa Palms) on Saturday, September 19. Proceeds from the concert will go directly to Teen Cancer America. Admission is $10 per person and the doors will open at 7 p.m.
One such teen cancer facility already exists at Moffitt Cancer Center, located on the University of South Florida’s Tampa campus, just a few miles south of Tampa Palms. The facility has one of the first Teen & Young Adult Lounges in the region and features a flat-screen TV with video games and couches.
According to TCA, teens and young adults fall into a sort of “no man’s land” when it comes to treatment. “They are not really children, but should not be classified as adults, either,” the TCA site explains. “Seventeen-year-olds present a different challenge altogether, and have completely different emotional and social needs than toddlers in pediatric wards or seniors in adult centers.”
Deacon Blues keyboardist Bernie Desrosiers says that the band has done quite a few benefit concerts, but, “This one is pretty big.”
Desrosiers says that he’s hoping about 100 people will come out to the event and adds that any more would be “just awesome.”
He adds, “If we get a little line out the door, we’ll all be smiling.”
For additional information, please visit DeaconBluesBand.com or Peabodys Billiards.com.
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