Mon. Nov. 12

    What are odds now, 1 in 3 of us will get cancer at some point? They all suck, but lung cancer is the deadliest form of the disease in the world. Among the victims are many who made their name by using their lungs. From vocalists like Nat King Cole and Rosemary Clooney to lyricist Frank Loesser, the rolls of award-winning musicians are filled with lung cancer victims.

     Fortunately, this list also includes many survivors, including Boston’s own songbird Hildy Grossman who, in addition to being a clinical psychologist and member of the popular cabaret group the Follen Angels is also the founder of Upstage Lung Cancer (www.upstagelungcancer.org), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting and celebrating those who stand up and raise their voices against this breathless killer.

     “The public is not aware that lung cancer is the number one cancer killer,” says Grossman, “more than breast, ovarian, uterine and colon cancer combined!” As a singer, Grossman is especially careful to mention that lung cancer is not just a smoker’s affliction and to point out that it not only took Loesser but also ABC News anchor Peter Jennings and opera superstar Beverly Sills as well.

“The sharpest increase in incidents of lung cancer has been among non-smoking women,” Grossman notes. “This fact flies in the face of the perception that only long-time smokers develop lung cancer.”

    On Monday November 12 at the Lyric Stage, Grossman and a collection of talented colleagues (including Emeey-winning drama doyenne Joyce Kulhawik, “MOMologue” writer  Lisa Rafferty, and singers Brian De Lorenzo, Scott Wahle and Leigh Barrett) will gather at the Lyric Stage Boston for a special event at which the legacies of lung cancer victims and survivors will be marked with song and celebration. Entitled “Unforgettable,” this year’s event will focus its attention on the music of Cole and Clooney. “I chose these two musical icons because they both lost their lives to lung cancer,” Grossman explains.

    In addition to celebrating these legendary performers, “Unforgettable” will also honor Brigham & Women’s Lung Cancer Program Director, cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Yolonda Colson, with ULC’s 2012 Fan Award. There will also be a brief presentation by Dr. Rebecca Heist of Mass General Hospital’s Cancer Center who is the recipient of ULC’s two-year, $600,000 grant in partnership with the LUNGevity Foundation. “We are recognizing Dr. Colson for her surgical expertise, research and inventions and her efforts to empower women to address their lung cancer,” Grossman explains. “Dr. Heist is researching tumor genetics to help identify targets for new therapies for lung cancer.”

      Combining Boston’s best medical minds and some of its most talented performers, ULC’s annual event has become a major event in both the medical and musical communities. “The show is an entirely professional endeavor,” Grossman promises. “We have outstanding professional actors and singers who…come back and perform for this show.”

     In addition to the musical and theatrical performances and the presentations, “Unforgettable” will also offer a silent auction ad post-event reception at which members of the musical, medical and support communities can share stories of success. Whether your life has been touched by cancer or just by the music of Cole and Clooney, it will surely be an unforgettable night.

    “Our organization uses music as a means to raise awareness and research funds for lung cancer,” Grossman says. “We’re creating an evening of uplifting entertainment so we can raise awareness and money to allow dedicated and brilliant researchers to conduct the kind of basic research that will lead to earlier diagnoses and more effective treatments.”
Starts at 7:30. Tix: $100.

- Matt Robinson

140 Clarendon St., 617-585-5678 www.lyricstage.com