Hi, my name is Bella DiStasio, and I am fundraising for Ollie's Orchestra. Ollie's Orchestra aims to provide music to infants and children with a cancer diagnosis and their families with the goal of channeling the joy, stress relief, distraction and peace that music can elicit. Ollie’s Orchestra distributes backpacks, guitars and other quality musical instruments to infants and children with a cancer diagnosis in inpatient and outpatient settings.

With the start of the school winter concert season, we will have dozens of opportunities to watch and enjoy music. Music has been a guiding force for me my entire life, and being a part of a high school orchestra/choir has only made it more apparent to me how crucial music is in one's life. Music therapy has been proven to help children and families going through the cancer treatment process. Ollie's parents, Rachel and Max, describe how music personally helped them through Ollie's cancer treatment process--

"During Ollie’s initial cancer treatment, we lived 120+ nights inpatient at Boston Children’s Hospital. Throughout this period, music therapists, professional musicians and aspiring artists, child life specialists, physical and occupational therapists and the clinical staff used music as a way to soothe, distract, motivate and provide joy to Ollie. We watched Ollie transform from a person who was actively fighting cancer to a baby and then toddler enchanted by everything from “Elmo’s Song” to “Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1”. The gift of music still gives Ollie, and by proxy us, a lifeline. It provides us with joy, hope and some healing during the most unimaginable time."

Please consider donating to help this great cause. All proceeds will go directly to Ollie’s Orchestra. Visit their website: www.olliesorchestra.org

In the words of Hans Christian Anderson, “Where words fail, music speaks".