Symphony concert honors courage of cancer survivors

FORT SMITH — Mercy Fort Smith presented A Show of Courage, a special concert with the Fort Smith Symphony honoring the community’s cancer survivors Saturday (June 2) at the Arkansas Best Performing Arts Center.
 
Donors were treated to a pre-concert dinner, followed by liqueur coffee and desserts. Prior to the performance, guests watched a four-minute presentation including a glimpse into the lives of 17 survivors' courageous battles with various forms of cancer.

“I was reminded that God was in the middle of all this, and I just had to keep showing up,” said Patricia Brown, a cancer survivor and chief operating officer for The City Wire. “Cancer gave me the opportunity to be on the front row seat of miracles. How lucky was I?”

Mercy Fort Smith is doing what it can to make sure its facility, equipment and medical personnel help cancer patients to win their battles, according to hospital officials. The Mercy Hembree Cancer Center is being expanded, as well. More rooms and new equipment are coming soon. In addition, a second radiation oncologist will later join the team.

During a break in the performance, checks were presented to Jared Bryson, vice president of Mission Mercy, and Regina Mason, executive director of the Mercy Health Foundation Fort Smith, from Darrell Moore from Gerdau in the amount of $50,000, from Drew Linder for First National Bank in the amount of $100,000, and from Sonya Hall and Drew Linder for William Thomas and May Pitman in the amount of $300,000.