The Scully Welsh Cancer Center has been given the gift of music, thanks to a generous donation by Doris Hall of a Young Chang Baby Grand Player Piano. The piano was gifted through Answer to Cancer, a nonprofit founded by Grand Harbor residents 15 years ago, which has since raised and donated more than $750,000 to the Cleveland Clinic Indian River Foundation to fund equipment and services at the Cancer Center.
“I’m 89 years old,” said Hall, adding that her late husband, Terry, purchased the piano about 17 years ago. “This way it will be going somewhere where it will mean something. And believe me, it has. It’s brought so much joy to many people. People there love it because they can either put a CD in and listen to the music, or somebody can play it.”
Hall is delighted that the piano has found a new home in the bright and airy lobby. She was recently shown a photo of a young man playing the piano for his mother, who was waiting to go into chemotherapy.
“He was playing the piano to make her feel good,” said Hall. “And to me, that was everything.”
When Answer to Cancer co-chairs Carole Casey and Terry Leggett began planning this year’s event, which was to have been held March 23, they again met with Dr. James Grichnik, medical director, and Lori McCormick, administrative director of Oncology Services, to determine this year’s ‘wish list’ of items.
“This year, they needed two more chairs for the chemotherapy patients and they needed educational materials, which used to be provided free by the American Cancer Society, but not anymore,” said Casey. “And then Lori said, ‘What we’d really love is a piano for the lobby, preferably a player piano.’”
As Casey began to ask around, neighbor Jan Harrell told her about Doris Hall, who she knew had just what they were looking for.
“I called her and asked her if she would be willing to donate her piano to the Cancer Center,” said Casey. Ten days later, Hall called back to say yes.
In addition to gifting the piano, and offering to pay for it to be tuned twice yearly, Hall paid White Glove Moving & Storage to handle its relocation.
“I could not believe how they wrapped everything up so carefully,” said Hall. “No wonder they say they’re the ‘White Glove.’ And then we went over and watched them put it back together.”
Advised that the sound would benefit from having a rug underneath, Casey went to Father and Sons Carpet, who made and donated a beautiful, circular white rug.
“Now there is music in the lobby as patients and caregivers are sitting and waiting,” said Casey. “It is just so special. It is such an addition to that lobby.”
It is just one more way Answer to Cancer has helped to improve the lives of patients struggling with cancer. Past year donations have funded improvements to waiting rooms, iPads and rolling carts, blanket warmers, DigniCap machines to reduce chemotherapy hair loss, AccuVein vein finders and the Patient Navigator program.
Although understandably disappointed that this year’s Answer to Cancer event had to be canceled, Casey said “even without having the event, we have raised, just in donations, over $60,000 and counting. I started getting checks from $50 up to about $3,000 just to support it. So to take in over $60,000 without an event is just amazing.”
For more information, visit answertocancer.info.
