Oct. 13 concert in memory of Liverpool woman to benefit Center for Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders at University Hospital

A concert in memory of a Liverpool woman who lost her battle with cancer in May will feature twelve hours of live music Sunday, Oct. 13 from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Ironix/Bridge Street Music Hall on Route 290 in East Syracuse. Admission is $5 at the door. Proceeds will benefit the Center for Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders at University Hospital.

Lori Sullivan, a graduate of Liverpool High School and a student at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, was 24 when she died May 18 after a nine-year battle with synovial sarcoma, a rare cancer of the soft tissue. She underwent 20 different operations and was regularly seen at University Hospital's Center for Children Cancer and Blood Disorders.

"Lori loved causes and helping people, so the decision to hold a benefit concert for the Center for Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders is exactly what Lori would have wanted," said her father, Patrick Sullivan.

Sunday's concert, which is being coordinated by Scott Dixon, general manager of Ironix/Bridge Street Music Hall, will feature 12 hours of live music by more than dozen local bands. Last year Dixon planned a concert that raised nearly $6,000 to offset Lori Sullivan's medical expenses.

At Liverpool High School, Lori Sullivan played varsity field hockey and lacrosse. She played Division II field hockey for Sacred Heart University. She returned home to serve as assistant coach of Liverpool High School's lacrosse team and then enrolled at SUNY-ESF. The college honored her with Empire Forester Award and a yearbook tribute in her honor acknowledges her spirit, strength and perseverance along with her "friendliness, effectiveness, intelligence, community awareness and willingness to learn."

University Hospital's Center for Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders provides diagnostic testing and treatment for children with various malignancies and for children with hematologic abnormalities. Presently, 700 children, from the Canadian border to northern Pennsylvania are served by the center and 50 to 60 new patients are referred for evaluation and treatment each year.