Ring The Bell!

Ring The Bell! is a Fundraiser Music Show for Cancer Research. We are raising funds to support CAR T-Cell Therapy, or Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell therapy, which is an innovative form of cancer treatment that harnesses the power of the immune system to target and eliminate cancer cells.

Standard first-line cancer treatments usually involve Radiation and/or Chemotherapy. However, when these therapies don't yield the desired results, or if patients are not elligible due to medical reasons, Car T-Cell Therapy is an option that can be life-changing.

According to a recent Ottawa Hospital Foundation interview with Dr. Natasha Kekre (Hematologist, Scientist, Research Chair in Advanced Stem Cell Therapy at The Ottawa Hospital and Associate Professor at uOttawa)* : "Trials like CAR T-cells are highly expensive and complicated to run, and they require significant funding for infrastructure and manufacturing — aspects of a trial that are generally not well-funded. This is why we rely so heavily on community support to help us actually reach our goal of opening trials and treating patients."

Therefore, our fundraiser is dedicated to help further expand this treatment's accessibility to Canadians.

Why “Ring The Bell!” ? - When a patient finishes cancer treatments, they ring a bell to signify the end of a challenging period. Therefore, the bell is associated with uplifting feelings, just like music - which we believe to be a universal language that brings people together. Our fundraiser will feature local independent musicians of various genres, including Pop, Rock, Blues, Jazz and more! So prepare yourself for a night of fun, while your donations contribute to something bigger than ourselves, that will help someone's loved one in the future.

I personally lost my grandpa to pancreatic cancer 2 years ago. It all happened very suddenly. He was one of the dearest people to me, and the pain of losing him is one that won't ever disappear. However, in his memory, and in the memory of all, I think it's important that we cherish the moments we have right now, with the people we love. We believe that at this event, we will all make beautiful memories to hold dear in our hearts for years to come.

****IMPORTANT EVENT INFO****

• We will not only have great local music, drinks** and catering but also a silent auction with wonderful prizes*** !
• This event is for all ages.
• You can support us by purchasing tickets to the event and/or donations to further help the cause. Every little bit counts!
• Tickets available on EventBrite.
• Donations can be made on our crowd change website (https://tohf.crowdchange.co/41626)
  IMPORTANT: A donation alone DOES NOT GRANT ADMISSION.

We hope to see you there!

-Mariana (Singer-Songwriter, Actress and Clerk at the Cancer Centre at The Ottawa Hospital).

Proceeds to The Ottawa Hospital Foundation in support of Cancer Research (CAR T-Cell Therapy).

*The Ottawa Hospital Foundation Interview with Dr. Kekre: https://ohfoundation.ca/qa/victories-on-the-dance-floor-and-in-the-lab-meet-dr-natasha-kekre/

**Drinks to be purchased at the bar provided by the SAW Centre, thus revenue from drinks will go to SAW, not to the charity.

***Winners to be announced at the end of the night. Prizes to be posted here soon.

Host or Publisher Mari Milano