<div>Everybody in Philly knows Patti Brett. Whether it’s from her early days working at Upper Darby‘s Tower Theatre, her reputation as one of the original and legendary "Sigma Kids" of David Bowie Young Americans fame, her efforts as the creator of Philly Loves Bowie Week, or her decades behind the bar as the owner of the iconic Doobies at 22nd and Lombard—Patti is a well-known and much-beloved member of our city’s musical and cultural community.
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<div>Since January 2017, Philly Loves Bowie has raised tens of thousands of dollars for pediatric cancer research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Patti has spent years celebrating the legacy of David Bowie with tribute concerts, art exhibits, films, and other presentations across the city. It’s a one-of-a-kind annual winter event we all look forward to.
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<div>Unfortunately, Patti – always ready to lend a helping hand to others – is now in need of a helping hand herself. Doobie's business took a major hit during the COVID-19 pandemic and closed in 2023, after 46 years as one of the area's most convivial meeting places. Then came a knee replacement surgery and a lengthy stay at a rehab facility. Tragically, she has just received a breast cancer diagnosis—one that will require a complicated surgery alongside prolonged treatment and recovery.
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<div>Why We Need Your Help… This journey is going to get very expensive for Patti. We want to ease her burden as she navigates:
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<div>• Medical Expenses: High insurance deductibles for surgeries, treatments, and procedures.
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<div>• Cost of Living: Covering basic bills during a lengthy recovery period.
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<div>• Loss of Income: Giving her the financial breathing room to heal without rushing back to work.
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<div>We are asking all of Patti‘s friends, the Philly music family, and the global Bowie community to pitch in. We have set a fundraising goal of $10,000 to help cover her bills. Please donate and share this post! Some great fundraising events are already in the planning stages for later this summer. Every bit of support will make a difference for Patti as she faces this difficult chapter. Please stay tuned for upcoming live fundraising events.
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Help Philly Legend Patti Brett Beat Cancer

<div>My husband, Robert, and I have been successfully navigating his end-stage liver disease for more than a decade, but his condition is now complicated by pancreatic cancer and a few other conditions that even further complicate his health—diabetes, an aneurysm on his spleen, coronary artery disease, and low platelets. Between October 2025 and March 2026, he was hospitalized eight times, and I honestly did not think that he would make it to our wedding anniversary on May 1. But he's had a very good few past few weeks in hospice, graduating from needing to be wheeled about to walking on his own, so I am VERY optimistic that he will be well enough to hit one of our bucket-list wishes: taking a hot-air balloon ride together. 
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<div>I found a place near us in Florida that has a great reputation for safety and has offered hundreds of mobility-challenged people to ascend into the blue, but it's not cheap: $880 for a private ascent. So, I am reaching out to my community to raise the money. 
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<div>Robert has spent a life a service to others, beginning with his career as a Southern Baptist minister and Wiccan high priest, then seven years in the U.S. Army as a chemical NCO, followed by being a police officer in Stockton, California, and finally pursuing a career in social work. Plus 35 years as a PADI SCUBA instructor.
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<div>We are well aware of the challenges will be facing and want to celebrate the life we have left while we can. Please help us do so!
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<div>(GoFundMe keeps asking us to use AI to "enhance" our story, and I just want to say that we want to remain human. Again, as long as we can! As such, this story is ours, warts and all.)
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Luanne Smith

Luanne Smith

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Help Philly Legend Patti Brett Beat Cancer

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