Love for Lani - Fundraiser for Ilanah Lobel-Torres

On September 10th, in the midst of a global pandemic and during her time singing with with Opera de Paris, Lani was diagnosed with Large B Cell Lymphoma. Over the course of the next 4-5 months, she'll go through 6 cycles of chemotherapy.

Read her story in her own words below:

"Today, September 10th should’ve been my first concert of the season with Opera De Paris but instead, it’s the day I was officially diagnosed with Large B Cell Lymphoma.

I have been having trouble breathing, along with slight chest discomfort and what I thought was an extremely painful inflamed rotator cuff, for about the past 6-7 months. I tried to shrug it off, being raised with the “it’s all in your head” type vibe/mentality. On 8/16, while in Sweden, I woke up with unbearable pain in my chest and back when I inhaled. My boyfriend, Noah finally convinced me to go to the doctor once we were back in Paris, and I didn’t even want to go. On 8/18 I was told my oxygen levels were low, my heart rate far too fast, and she couldn’t hear my left lung, so the physician ordered an X-ray and bloodwork. On 8/19, I went in for what I thought would be a quick x-ray, but as I went to leave after my initial scan, someone ran up to me and told me I needed an emergency CT scan; they found something in my left lung. I was terrified, alone (Noah was working), and in a foreign country struggling to keep up with French medical terms. They took me into a room and told me that they had found a large mass in my chest, measuring 12cm x 9 cm, in between my heart and left lung, compressing my lungs. I needed a biopsy ASAP. Thanks to my incredible friend Carla and her equally incredible family, I was able to get medical attention and advice almost immediately. I feel so grateful and blessed that I am still on my parents health insurance, and truly can’t imagine what this would’ve been like had I not been, which is why Noah and I flew back to New York from Paris on 8/22. I’ve since had all my exams, tests and my biopsy done at Memorial Sloan Kettering where I feel so safe and well cared for.

This is the last thing I could’ve dreamed would happen to me, as I was living my actual dream living in Paris and singing with Opera De Paris."

[Watch this beautiful, inspirational light of a human being living out her dream performing at Opera National de Paris.]

Everyone who knows Lani knows that she's a force to be reckoned with--she's strong and beautiful both inside and out. Lani's passionate about everything that she does and never backs down from a challenge. She's fighting this battle the way she knows best--with unwavering positivity, fueled by the support she's received from the loved ones she cares so deeply about. 

Never one to ask for anything while giving everything, this is our way of lending a helping hand to Lani. We want to alleviate the weight of some of the major costs of relocating back home from France during a pandemic, and the costs associated with going through this ongoing treatment.  Though she has health insurance, anything you can donate will go a long way in helping provide support for expenses ranging from co-pay for medication, wigs, meals and transportation, rent and moving, and any unforeseen costs she and her family may face during this challenging time.