Christmas is coming early to cancer patients on the Central Coast. On Dec. 11 at 7 p.m., the Civic Ballet of San Luis Obispo will open up its dress rehearsal of The Nutcracker to cancer patients and their families.
A total of 1,200 free tickets have been distributed throughout Catholic Healthcare West’s Central Coast Centers, including Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria.
Patients are encouraged to “come as they are”—in pajamas, in wheelchairs, with oxygen, or whatever they need to enjoy the performance, according to a press release from Marian Medical Center.
The event was inspired by Dr. Rich O’Neil, a local anesthesiologist and father of two dancers in the show, who was diagnosed with cancer in October 2007. O’Neil was unable to attend a public performance of the ballet because of the sensitive nature of his illness, so the Civic Ballet allowed him and his wife to come to a private dress rehearsal to enjoy his daughters’ dancing.
Cathie Brown, a Civic Ballet of San Luis Obispo representative, said this event is a perfect addition to the company’s other free performances for Children’s Services Network and the Economic Opportunity Commission of San Luis Obispo County.
While this year’s performance is already full, Brown said the ballet plans to make it an annual event.
“We want to make it a Christmas tradition that the patients can do with their families before the holidays,” she said. “It’s something that’s safe and fun for them to do.”
This year, the Civic Ballet has a new dancer in its company. Local 13-year-old Melinda Marchiano was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2007. Through many months of chemotherapy and radiation, Melinda continues to dance, and she will perform Marie in this year’s production of The Nutcracker.
The Dec. 11 performance will be held in honor of Marchiano, O’Neil, and the many other cancer patients in the area.
—Amy Asman
This article appears in Dec 11-18, 2008.
