A few months ago Tori Fukumitsu and I went to the Children's Hospital of Oakland for a personal tour of the facilities. At one point of the tour, we reached a set of double doors where we were told to wash our hands before entrance. The section of the hospital we were about to visit was the cancer wing. Upon entrance, Tori and I saw children from babies to teenagers receiving treatment for their serious rare forms of cancer. The wing had bulletin boards covered with pictures of children ranging from babies to teenagers who had not been so fortunate and had lost their lives despite Children's efforts to save their lives. We were both in a state of complete shock; not only did the realness of it all affect us but the fact that it could strike any normal child just like me and Tori affected us deeply. What had these particular children done to get cancer? Why were they fighting to live another day while we obsessed over trivialities? How did we know if we would ever find ourselves in their place? These were the questions that went through our minds after we stepped out of the ward, farther than most of the children with cancer would step in months, farther than some of the children would ever step again. Despite the conditions we witnessed in that hospital, Tori and I came out with hope. Our Benefit Concert on February 20 is dedicated to making a better world for those children suffering with cancer and other diseases.

Audrey Vardanega, member of Mozart Youth Camerata