HP011719

hplandmark.com life & Arts
the highland park landmark | January 17, 2019 | 21
Band gives back to HP hospital
Erin Yarnall, Editor
When patients are initially
diagnosed with cancer,
their first thoughts are
typically centering around
their treatment. But once
treatment has started, another
focus is on how to
feel better while receiving
the treatments.
That’s where North-
Shore University Health-
System’s Integrative
Medicine team comes in.
Their goal is to help
patients feel better while
receiving these treatments,
and to help fund
this, they’ve teamed up
with the band Sons of the
Silent Age, and received
proceeds from the band’s
Jan. 12 concert at the
Metro in Chicago.
The proceeds from the
concert go toward acupuncture
and massage
treatments for cancer patients
at the Kellogg Cancer
Center in Highland
Park.
“We were struggling
with patients, who, we
wanted them to get acupuncture,
massage and
treatments that are not
covered by insurance,”
said Dr. Leslie Mendoza
Temple, a specialist with
NorthShore University
HealthSystem who is
based in Glenview.
Through fundraising,
the hospital has been able
to donate treatments to
“hundreds” of patients,
according to Temple. For
each person who receives
a donation, they receive
six free treatments, with
a value of approximately
$500.
“It’s just so nice to see
people feel better,” Temple
said. “This is what you
do when you want to help
people and not wait for
Dr. Leslie Mendoza Temple (left to right), actor Michael Shannon, Chris Connolly,
the singer of Sons of the Silent Age and drummer Matt Walker smile at the Metro in
Chicago. Photos submitted
mountains to move.”
The Jan. 12 concert was
the team’s third fundraiser
concert. Its first, in 2010,
featured Billy Corgan
of The Smashing Pumpkins
performing at La
Salle Power Company, a
former venue in Chicago,
and raised more than
$68,000.
The next concert wasn’t
until 2018, and was held
at the Metro in Chicago,
featuring Sons of the Silent
Age, who performed
again in 2019 and chose
to donate proceeds from
the concert to the hospital
at both events.
The band is comprised
of Chicago-based musicians,
including Wilmette
resident Matt Walker, a
drummer who has performed
with The Smashing
Pumpkins, Garbage
and currently performs
with Morrissey.
Walker’s wife, Char
Walker, is an integrative
psychotherapist at North-
Shore University Health-
System, and helped to
organize the event after
Temple suggested they
have a fundraiser.
“I’m thinking raffles
and bake sales,” Temple
said. “Then, for some reason,
it crossed my mind
knowing that Char’s husband
was touring and
good friends with famous
people.”
Actor Michael Shannon,
an alum of New
Trier High School, was a
special guest at the event,
performing in character
as Lou Reed. He was also
the band’s special guest in
2018, performing as Iggy
Pop.
“He’s amazing because
he’s an actor,” Temple
said of Shannon’s guest
performance. “It’s like
you’re watching a theatrical
performance of someone
absolutely being Lou
Reed. Last year he was
Iggy Pop, and none of
us knew what to expect.
The shirt came off and the
writhing on the stage happened,
and there was Iggy
Pop.”
For the cancer patients
who receive these treatments,
they’ve helped
transform the experience
of receiving cancer treatment.
“At NorthShore and the
Kellogg Cancer Center,
they’ve given me a full
spectrum of treatments
ranging from chemotherapy
to radiation ,” patient
Steve Merola said. “All of
these things, while they’re
helpful, at the same time
they make you sick.”
Dr. Patricia Piant (left to right), Dr. Leslie Mendoza
Temple, Char Walker and Metro owner Joe Shanahan
stand onstage, Jan. 12, at the Metro in Chicago.
Merola was diagnosed
with cancer in Nov. 2016,
and said that receiving
acupuncture treatments
from integrative medicine
is “terrific.”
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