HARMONY AND HOPE GALA

Hi Everyone!

Wow, what an incredible few weeks I’ve had! 

On April 9th,  2024, I was honored to be a part of the “Harmony and Hope” Gala for Chai Lifeline Canada which also featured world-famous opera singer Andrea and his wife, Veronica Bocelli. Andrea Bocelli not only performed at the gala which was magical, but he and his wife also received a Humanitarian Award. The event also honored distinguished community members like Shelly Avital, Silvio De Gasperis, and Jack Eisenberger. Sadly I did not get to meet Andrea himself, but I got the opportunity to meet his wife Veronica. She was very nice. 

For those of you who are not familiar with Chai Lifeline, they are an international organization that helps children and families that struggle with critical illness. Chai Lifeline is a non-profit organization so they do stuff like this gala to raise money. Once my mom and I got to the gala, I did a quick microphone check and then got to go to the reception and talked to many very interesting people, all who were very nice. After about an hour, it was showtime! As I climbed the stairs to the stage, I felt a tinge of nervousness but a whole bunch of excitement overtook my nervous thoughts. 

I played the piano and also gave a speech in support of Chai Lifeline Canada. The piano piece I played was called “The Stormy Sea”. To me, it sounded like very harsh and strong waves in a giant ocean. I guess that’s why the song is called “The Stormy Sea”!. After I played the piano, I took a deep breath and walked to the microphone. I gave a 7 minute long speech about my journey with cancer and how much Chai Lifeline Canada helped me then, and still do now. To my surprise, I got a standing ovation! That night Chai Lifeline Canada raised 2 million dollars to continue to do their important work and support families and children like they supported me and my family. That may have very well been the best day of my life. I’m so thankful for everyone at Chai Lifeline Canada who believed in me and gave me this opportunity.