Dancing on the Valentine with The Cure

“I remember the day they told me they thought I had Leukemia and I had just watched a film where a child died of Leukemia so I looked at the doctor and asked, ‘Am I gonna die?’ and he said, ‘Yes.'”

For those unfamiliar with the tale, let’s go back a ways: a 12-year old girl named Jenny is diagnosed with Leukemia, told she’ll never be able to have children, and told she probably won’t even make it past her next thirty days. Through long, arduous chemotherapy sessions, one group of friends is always with her, serenading her through the worst of it, and giving her hope in an otherwise hopeless situation. Those friends are Duran Duran.

“Every spinal tap, every treatment, for over three years I only listened to Duran Duran. I mean, I listened to other things beside Duran Duran but all my treatments and stuff it was strictly Duran Duran,” says Jenny.

At the age of 16, Jenny George beat Leukemia and today, she is a dedicated mother who, in addition to her day job, is committed to raising money to cure the disease and help children going through the same experience she once endured.

“I had a friend and she’s like, ‘What do you wanna do for your 30th birthday?’ and I’m like, ‘Well, I always had this dream, because I never thought I would make it to 30, to have a Duran Duran cover night.’ That was the start of it,” says Jenny.

Dancing on the Valentine has been produced by Jenny for the last eight years with the help of many, many others who have the drive and heart to help support finding a cure for Leukemia. For the inaugural event Jenny really wanted local band The Long Winters to play and when the band said OK, she was absolutely beside herself.

“The first one was at The Sunset and it sold out and there was a line all night long of people trying to get in,” says Jenny.

Not only has Dancing on the Valentine been helping to raise awareness and money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society but it’s also been a place to help showcase local up and coming bands. This year, Dancing on the Valentine is a tribute to The Cure and the lineup includes The Grizzled Mighty, Head Like a Kite, Erik Blood, The Fox and the Law, Hotels and Panama Gold to name just a few.

I asked Robbie Luna of Panama Gold why it’s important for him to be involved with Dancing on the Valentine.

“Mainly, exposure,” he jokes. “No, honestly, Jenny is one of my most favorite people and to help her out is the least I can do in this situation and I love The Cure and I think it’s a no-brainer.”

I asked Jenny what the hardest part was about her experience and she said it was watching her peers die.

“It was more traumatic watching kids die of the same thing that I had and that’s kind of why I do this now. It’s for my friends that I had that didn’t make it, in the hospital.”

Jenny’s birthday is Valentine’s Day.

To listen to my full chat with both Jenny and Robbie, go here.

Dancing on The Valentine
Adra Boo + Daniel G. Harmann & The Trouble Starts + Erik Blood + Fox and the Law + Gibraltar + Head Like A Kite + Hotels + Lesli Wood (of The Redwood Plan) w/ Jupe Jupe + Nightrain + Panama Gold + The Grizzled Mighty + Vox Mod + DJ Mike Steve
Saturday February 9th, 2013
$15 ADV // 21+

For more information and to buy tickets, go here.