Vote for the Danny Fund/Melanoma Research Alliance
WHO WAS DANNY FEDERICI?
Danny Federici (born January 23, 1950) was an icon in American music. He was most known for being the organ, glockenspiel, and accordion player for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band for the past 38 years.
Federici started to play accordion when he was seven years old, which he learned from watching The Lawrence Welk Show. When he mastered classical music and polka, his mother and father Jean and Daniel Federici booked him at parties, clubs and on the radio where he won many awards and accolades for his talented musical abilities.
Danny's fluid organ fills are a key component in the E Street sound, and sometimes take on a more prominent role, such as on the hit "Hungry Heart". His use of the electronic glockenspiel is also an easily recognized E Street element. Another notable performance is his accordion solo on "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)."
During the 1990s, Federici recorded a solo album of jazz instrumentals called "Flemington," after his hometown of Flemington, New Jersey. Danny followed this up with a smooth jazz album entitled "Out of a Dream" on V2 Records in 2005.
On November 21, 2007, it was announced that Federici would take a leave of absence from Springsteen and the E Street Band's ongoing Magic Tour to pursue treatment for melanoma. Springsteen stated at the time, "Danny is one of the pillars of our sound and has played beside me as a great friend for more than 40 years. We all eagerly await his healthy and speedy return."
Federici made his return to the stage on March 20, 2008, when he appeared for portions of a very memorable Springsteen and E Street Band performance in Indianapolis that got rave reviews. See "Dad's last show"
Danny lost his battle to melanoma on April 17th, 2008.
What he enjoyed most, besides making music, was spending time with his family, wife Maya, son Jason and daughters Harley and Madison. He also loved a good drive down the Delaware River's beautiful roads.
A MESSAGE FROM DANNY FEDERICI
"What people take for granted on a daily basis, among so many other things, is their skin. I spent my life, like many others, catching some rays, surfing, hanging out in the sun and it never bothered me until now. Who knew that something as simple as a proper sunscreen or keeping yourself covered up on a sunny day could one day save your life? Our culture looks at a nice tan as a sign of luxury. We spend time in tanning booths when we can't go to the beach or lay by the pool. It's time to think again. Especially if you're fair-skinned, have freckles, or light eyes. Be aware of the dangers, take precaution, and have yourself checked out regularly by a dermatologist from head to toe. It could absolutely make the difference in your life."
FEDERICI FUND TRIAL
The overall goal of Dr. Paul Chapman's research is to develop new and effective treatments for metastatic melanoma. His work has focused on three different approaches: chemotherapy, immune therapy, and agents designed to interfere with biochemical pathways critical for melanoma growth.
From Dr. Paul Chapman on the Federici Fund Trial:
"I am going to use the funds to conduct a trial entitled: "Genetic Variates of Response to Chemotherapy in Melanoma". This trial will be funded entirely by the Federici Fund. Patients will be treated with combination chemotherapy (similar to the regimen that Danny had originally responded to). Prior to treatment, all patients will undergo a biopsy to allow us to conduct extensive genetic analyses. We will then correlate the genetic changes seen in the tumors with whether or not the patients responded to treatment. We hope to identify genes that predict response to chemotherapy. I just finished a study in which patients were treated with a simple regimen – one chemotherapy drug – and we identified four genes that correlated with response. That was the first time this had been done in melanoma and has just been submitted for publication. This Federici Fund trial will be the second and will be a more sophisticated study. We will see if these four genes are really important or if there are other genes. The protocol has been approved by the Department of Medicine and I hope to treat the first patient in February. I'm very excited about this."
For more information on Dr. Chapman's research, Dr. Brennan (Danny's surgeon) and Memorial Sloan-Kettering, please visit www.mskcc.org
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