September 22, 2006

"A Night at the Symphony" for cancer research

On Oct. 7, the Longwood Symphony Orchestra (LSO) will open its season with a concert to benefit the Reid R. Sacco Memorial Foundation and its fight against cancers in young adults. The LSO was established by members of Harvard Medical School and is led by acclaimed conductor Jonathan McPhee. Lisa Wong, MD, a violinist from the MassGeneral Hospital for Children, serves as LSO president. MGH's Pathology Department also has a special connection to the evening's benefit performance. At left, Sacco and Krause

Reid Sacco is the son of Lorraine Sacco, an MGH medical technologist who has worked in the Pathology Department for the past 33 years. Reid died at age 20 in April 2005, after a two-year battle with rhabdomyosarcoma, a malignant soft tissue tumor predominantly found in adolescents and young adults. Lorraine and her husband Gene established the foundation in their son's name to support research to find better treatments — and someday a cure — for these deadly cancers.

Among the orchestra members who will play at the event will be Daniela Krause, MD, PhD, chief resident in Clinical Pathology. Krause, a flutist for 23 years, has been a member of the LSO since 2000. In addition to Krause's involvement in the orchestra, members of MGH's Pathology Department have planned "Pathology Night at the Symphony," to support the foundation and the LSO. "Helping people afflicted by cancer starts in our own communities and only ends with finding a cure in research laboratories," says Krause. "Music is one way to build the bridges."

Among his many talents, Reid was a gifted violinist, saxophonist and pianist. "That the LSO chose to honor Reid in this way is especially fitting," says Sacco. "Reid was passionate about music but also was a connection point for many. So, like the LSO, Reid was and continues to be a hub in a network of people who are committed to living life to its fullest and to keeping disease from preventing others from doing the same."

To celebrate that network, the concert will honor five physicians who have
dedicated their careers to the care and well-being of critically ill children and
young adults. All have made pioneering contributions in their respective fields of
medicine. Among the honorees is Daniel P. Doody, MD, co-director of MassGeneral Hospital for Children's Pediatric Intestinal Rehabilitation Program.

For more information, visit www.longwoodsymphony.org or www.reidsaccofoundation.org.