kids with cancer. That's the goal of a music festival coming to Bedford County later this month. WDBJ7's Tim Saunders is live in our Lynchburg Bedford Newsroom. Tim, who's organizing this event? Jean, it's being put together by a man who knows first hand what it's like to have a child with cancer. He's using his experience to support other families, who are facing the same situation. 'Shellshocked' is t way Michael Okuley describes the news he received in September of 2012. That's when his son, Noah, was diagnosed with cancer. Michael Okuley: 'i happened so fast that i really didn't have time to process it all.' What followed was months of chemotherapy and radiation, along with dozens of trips to the University of Virginia Medical Center. The treatment and travel was expensive, but friends and neighbors helped the Okuley's with donations and support. Now that his son's health has improved, Okuley is in a position to help others. Okuley: 'We decide that what we really needed to do was pay it forward and see who else in the community we could help out.' For two years now, Okuley has staged a music festival in his son's honor. 'NoahFest' is weekend of concerts and camping at the Sedelia Center, near Big Island. Okuley: 'We have a unbelieveable lineup of music. We have grammy nominees coming in from Nashville.' All of the proceeds will go to five children in Bedford who are battling cancer. One of the recipients is Luke Arrington, who's fighting Stage 4 Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Support from the community has already helped him stay strong during treatment. Arrington: 'It's reall mind over matter. If you keep your head up and your strength up, you can beat this.' Okuley says that's what NoahFest is all about: giving kids and their families the strength to keep fighting. Okuley: 'That's reall the main purpose behind this. To try and help these families out.' NoahFest is August 29th and 30th. Tickets to the festival itself are 15 dollars. Okuley says sponsors have covered all his overhead expenses, so it's truly a non- profit event with all money going to the cancer patients. Live in the Lynchburg Bedford Newsroom, Tim Saunders, wdbj7. Doctors
'Shellshocked' is the way Michael Okuley describes the news he received in September of 2012.
That's when his son, Noah, was diagnosed with cancer.
'It happened so fast that I really didn't have time to process it all,' said Okuley, who works as an insurance agent in Bedford.
What followed was months of chemotherapy and radiation, along with dozens of trips to the University of Virginia Medical Center.
The treatment and travel was expensive, but friends and neighbors helped the Okuley's with donations and support.
Now that his son's health has improved, Okuley is in a position to help others.
'We decided that what we really needed to do was pay it forward and see who else in the community we could help out,' Okuley said.
For two years now, Okuley has staged a music festival in his son's honor.
'NoahFest' is a weekend of concerts and camping at the Sedelia Center, near Big Island.
'We have an unbelievable lineup of music,' said Okuley. 'We have Grammy nominees coming in from Nashville.'
All of the proceeds will go to five children in Bedford who are battling cancer.
One of the recipients is Luke Arrington, who's fighting Stage 4 Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.
Support from the community has already helped him stay strong during treatment.
'It's really mind over matter,' said Arrington. 'If you keep your head up and your strength up, you can beat this.'
Okuley says that's what NoahFest is all about: giving kids and their families the strength to keep fighting.
'That's really the main purpose behind this,' Okuley said. 'To try and help these families out.'
NoahFest is August 29 and 30. Tickets to the festival itself are $15. Click here for more information.
Okuley said sponsors have covered all his overhead expenses, so it's truly a non-profit event with all money going to the cancer patients.
Entities 0 Name: Okuley Count: 12 1 Name: Bedford Count: 3 2 Name: Michael Okuley Count: 3 3 Name: Nashville Count: 2 4 Name: Noah Count: 2 5 Name: Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma Count: 2 6 Name: University of Virginia Medical Center Count: 2 7 Name: Tim Saunders Count: 2 8 Name: Arrington Count: 2 9 Name: Luke Arrington Count: 2 10 Name: Big Island Count: 2 11 Name: Lynchburg Bedford Newsroom Count: 2 12 Name: Tim Count: 1 13 Name: Bedford County Count: 1 14 Name: Jean Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1t2P8zb Title: Obesity 'linked to 10 cancers' Description: Being overweight and obese puts people at greater risk of developing 10 of the most common cancers, according to research in the Lancet medical journal. Scientists calculated individuals carrying this extra weight could contribute to more than 12,000 cases of cancer in the UK population every year.
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