April 7, 2000

To run with the MassGeneral Marathon team, participants must raise a minimum of $2,000 for pediatric cancer research at the MGH. Many team members call upon family and friends to make donations. Chris Merlan, a manager of Information Systems at Harvard University, chose a different way to raise his money: he put on a rock concert March 11 with his band Bin 14 at the International Pub in Boston. Merlan will run the Boston Marathon in honor of Jonathan Laughead, a 16-year-old patient with bone cancer at the MassGeneral Hospital for Children. Merlan raised $1,950 through ticket sales and a raffle.

Merlan got Laughead involved by inviting him to play percussion at the concert. "The night was a blast," says Laughead. "Chris is a great guy. I'll be there on the 17th cheering him on."

Merlan says that Jonathan is a phenomenal teenager with an amazing outlook on life. It's heartwarming to see how he handles this battle with his positive attitude," he says.

Laughead, left, and Merlan