FGL’s Brian Kelley Leads Inspiring ‘No More Chemo’ Party During St. Jude Concert in Nashville
The annual St. Jude This Shirt Saves Lives campaign kicked off in November 2018 with an entertaining variety show that included a very special moment, courtesy of Brian Kelley from Florida Georgia Line.
Actually, St. Jude patient Ian was the star. The 10-year-old boy (at the time) from Franklin, Tenn., beat cancer for a second time, and he stood onstage with his family as Kelley took the microphone to explain how a No More Chemo party works.
When a patient gets his or her last treatment, the nurses gather to sing a song written decades years ago at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. It's a joyous song that goes:
"Our patients have the cutest s-m-i-l-e / Our patients have the sweetest h-e-a-r-t / While we love to see you every day / Now’s the time we get to say / Pack up your bags, get out the door / You don’t get chemo anymore!"
Prior to the concert event, Kelley talked about his participation. "We're here to celebrate the kids and the patients and their process," he remarked to Taste of Country and select media. "Everything that St. Jude is doing is beyond what a lot of us can comprehend ... It's real life. It's extremely real."
Kelley's wife, Brittney, also participated in the evening by taking part in the This Shirt Saves Lives fashion show. Her boutique, Tribe Kelley, was one of a number of local shops that helped design outfits for models to wear as they showcased the T-shirt, which you can only get one by becoming a St. Jude Partner in Hope. Brittney says she was raised with St. Jude calendars hanging on the wall in her house.
"My grandmother raised me so she was always very vocal about how we need to support something that's bigger than yourself," she explained.
Performances by Brett Young, LoCash, RaeLynn, Cassadee Pope and more, a magic show from Justin Flom and a live auction that netted tens of thousands of dollars for St. Jude were also part of the three-hour event at Nashville's Schermerhorn Symphony Center in 2018. Nearly 70,000 donors got the T-shirt in 2017 and 2018, and more than 250 celebrities posed for pictures in the shirt to create awareness for a campaign.
From Feb. 6-7, Taste of Country will assist more than a dozen country radio stations in raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital with a webathon/radiothon. Nearly $9.2 million has been raised during the previous joint efforts, with much more raised from other TSM stations later in the year. If you'd like to donate, check here for various options.
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