Festival to celebrate life, raise funds
Published 8:05 pm Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Five bands, homemade BBQ, goodies for sale, an auction, face painting and more. It’s a music festival and a celebration of life, and a way to help a young family struck by cancer.
Dustin Reiners, husband to Carrie, and father to Ty, 5, and Cam, 3, has been told he has a year to live. Reiners was diagnosed with a very rare form of liver cancer after extreme fatigue and weight loss sent him to the doctor in 2011. Fibrolamellar Hepatocellular Carcinoma only occurs in one of every 5 million people — only 250 people per year. In the past two years, Reiners has undergone two major liver surgeries, nine separate chemotherapy regimens and 30 radiation treatments. In June, scans turned up a rapid spread of the disease. But through it all, he’s kept fighting, said Amy Shirley, Carrie’s first cousin.
Shirley is one of the organizers of the Reiners Benefit, a nearly all-day affair for the entire family slated for Aug. 31 in Bath. She and three other family members have issued an invitation to the public to come celebrate Dustin’s life and, at the same time, make a donation to help the Terra Ceia couple with the excessive medical bills that come with cancer.
“He’s been through tons of treatments and I know she’s been fighting the insurance company,” Shirley explained, adding that’s why family and friends decided to throw a festival in the Reiners’ honor — to help.
“It’s a donation to get in and that gets you something to eat and gives you access to the bands, the auction and the kid zone,” Shirley said.
Bluegrass, country, gospel, jazz, ‘50s and ‘60s pop music — a wide variety of musical genres will be represented in the five bands set to perform at the Bath home and performance space of family friends Rob and Cindi Cuthrell, Shirley said.
Handmade baby blankets and handcrafted jewelry, paintings, an electric guitar and signed memorabilia from Oakland Raiders’ offensive tackle Willie Smith and Green Bay Packers’ defensive end C.J. Wilson, will be part of the auction held between music sets, she said.
Reiners Benefit will be held from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 31 at 304 Tar Landing Dr., Bath (off of Creek Road). For more information, search “Reiners Benefit” on Facebook.com.