Benefit Concert Saturday For Ewa Beach Teenager

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The Friends of Sweet Leilani will have a benefit concert from 2 to 7 p.m. this Saturday at Pipeline Cafe to raise money and support for Leilani Emosi of Ewa Beach.

Emosi was recently diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia, an aggressive form of leukemia that requires the 19-year-old to have a bone marrow transplant. A recent donor drive in Kapolei netted more than 50 new potential donors for the Hawaii Bone Marrow Registry, something that has Emosi’s family and friends very hopeful.

“That’s over 50 new chances for folks like my daughter, who are praying for a match to save their lives,” said mom Valeri Emosi.

In addition to continuous live entertainment from groups like 7 Simple Pieces, the Gregg Hammer Band, Touch of Gold, Hulili and Pegasis, there will be a silent auction, door prizes, lots of food and children’s games to keep the party going.

There also will be a bone marrow registration drive on-site from 2 to 5 p.m. (Registering is quick, easy and needle-free, as a sample is gathered by rubbing a cotton swab on the inside of the cheek.)

Tickets cost $25 per person, of which $20 is tax-deductible, and they can be purchased at the door, by calling 349-1459 or by going online to www.SweetLeilani.org.

The Friends also have teamed up with the nonprofit Save-A-Life-Enhance-A-Life Foundation to collect donations to pay down the estimated $100,000 in current expenses associated with Leilani’s treatments. Because she was first diagnosed with leukemia at age 8 and has battled the disease twice before, she already has reached the $1 million lifetime maximum allotment in healthcare benefits.

Donations should be made payable to Save-A-Life-Enhance-A-Life Foundation and mailed to Friends of Sweet Leilani, 590 Farrington Hwy. #524, P.O. Box 176, Kapolei, HI 96707.

All donations are 100 percent tax-deductible and go directly toward medical-related expenses. First Hawaiian Bank also will accept donations made payable to the foundation at any of its branches statewide.

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