Fifth Annual Cancer Can't Kill Love Benefit Concert

By 22, I'd lost both of my parents to cancer.

No more than one month after my mother, Joanne, lost a brief four-month battle with Leukemia, friends gathered from near and far to celebrate her life - and the life of my father, Butch, who succumbed in 2008 to asbestos-triggered lung cancer brought on by his work at Ground Zero - while also raising money to get me back on my feet.

And so, the first ever Cancer Can't Kill Love Benefit Concert was born.

Named after a sermon spoken at my mother's funeral and thrown together by a few close friends, the November, 2013 fundraiser served as a platform for local bands to share the stage and supporters to make a toast, all with one common goal: tell cancer to take a hike.

Since then, we've been raising the stakes -- bringing our grand total to over $32,000 to-date. That's $32,000 towards keeping families together and ending this fight for good.

The Fifth Annual Cancer Can't Kill Love Benefit Concert will take place on Saturday, September 23 at The Leif Bar (6725 Fifth Avenue, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn) from 2 p.m. to midnight. More bands. More money. More love. Join us. Bring a friend. Laugh 'til you cry and vice versa.

This year's shirt is a special one.Designed by Megan Padovano -- a longtime supporter of Cancer Can't Kill Love and the brains, beauty and talent behind Megan Padovano Designs -- this year's shirt pays tribute to her aunt, Victoria Padovano, who succumbed to Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer earlier this year.Though all funds raised at this year's event will go to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, a portion of sales of Megan's shirt will go directly to The Lustgarten Foundation, an organization dedicated to advancing scientific and medical research related to the diagnosis, treatment, cure and prevention of pancreatic cancer.

FROM THE ARTIST:"Victoria worked at the zoo for over 20 years. Growing up, my brother and I were always excited to go to her house, because she turned her basement into an animal rehabilitation room. She would take in any and all injured animals, from birds to squirrels to rabbits, any animal that she could help was welcome in her home. Aunt Vicky would take us into the animal exhibits at the zoo, we got to meet countless creatures, including a baby kangaroo! Her love for wolves and birds were two of the most significant in her life. She frequently visited wolf reservations throughout her life, even taking me with her to meet one in person. But her creativity really shined when she made bird houses. She adorned them with little birds of all kinds, and they are some of the most beautiful pieces she left behind. Her love for animals and others and her kind and gentle nature will always be remembered. Aunt Vicky passed away from Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer at the beginning of this year. A loss that can never be filled, a light that has gone out, and the loss of my hero. I created his design in honor of Victoria, and in hopes of raising money for cancer research in order to help others survive in the future."-- Megan PadovanoAct now, and get yours in time for this year's event.