Friends stepping up to help singer's battle with cancer
- Jessica Iron Joseph | September 23, 2016
Friends of a local singer are rallying behind her financially and emotionally as she battles cancer.
On October 1st, there will be a fundraiser at the Meadow Lake Arena to help Lorrie Church pay for costs associated with treatment of a type of cancer called myelodysplasia.
“It’s a fundraiser to help her costs, everything that comes with the sickness that she has,” said longtime friend and fellow musician, Lance Whitecalf. “She’s going to be receiving treatment in Saskatoon and the expenses will be kind of overwhelming for her so Danny Mirasty and I both agreed that we would work on getting a fundraiser happening.”
The dance will be upstairs in the mezzanine and will likely begin around 5pm and go until 2 am. It will feature bands like Yvonne St. Germaine, Mitch Daigneault, Ray Villebrun & Red Blaze band, Kelly Atcheynum & The Blue Water Band, Lance Whitecalf & Midnight Luv, Jason Ledoux & Indiquise, and The Evening Shift Band.
Many of the entertainers have played onstage with Church over the years. “She started playing with The Bluewater Band, which I was a part of, back in the late ‘80s, early ‘90s and from there her career kind of took off,” recalled Whitecalf. “She started going on her own in about 1992 and I was a part of that, so I played music on the road with her for years.”
After several years, they lost contact. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that they reunited onstage. They played a few gigs together and it was like no time had been lost. Whitecalf has always considered her a part of his family.
“She was like a little sister to us. She was a lot younger than us. We always wanted to make sure no one bugged her. We were all ready to pounce on anybody that bugged her onstage or whatever,” joked Whitecalf. “She more or less became a little sister and still is.”
Church went on to Nashville, having a successful career creating albums, releasing videos on CMT and winning awards at the Saskatchewan Country Music Association.
She began her treatments in mid-September, which require her to have a stem cell bone marrow transplant, so it is unlikely that she will be joining the musicians onstage on October 1st
Tickets will be $20 at door, minors will only be allowed until 8 pm. After 9 pm, ID will be required.
For more information, please contact Lance Whitecalf at: (306) 390-7926, email: lance.whitecalf@gmail.com; or Danny Mirasty at: (306) 930-5679, email: danmirasty@hotmail.com.
You can also donate to Lorrie Church’s medical expenses online at: www.gofundme.com/lorriechurch