The eleventh annual Gregorpaloozahas officially started.
Guests at the event will experience local talent, such as Strange Brew, Ponto Paparo, Euphoric, the Sledgehammers, and more. Tickets are still on sale at the door of Mount Dufour for $20. A bus shuttle to bring guests home is provided by A.J Bus Lines. There is also a silent auction to pique interest.
Gregorpalooza began 11 years ago, when Gregor McGregor was fighting his battle with stage 4 nasal pharynx cancer. He was 21-years-old. Ten years later, he is now cancer free.
His two best friends, Phil Ucci and Phil Boscariol, decided to shave their heads after McGregor's hair fell out due to his chemotherapy treatments. This made McGregor realize he had a whole team of family and friends behind him to help him get through the treatment.
The Ucci family decided they wanted to help and since Vince Ucci knew how to throw a party, decided he was going to throw a fundraiser to help McGregor with his treatments. The family organized car washes and sold items donated by local businesses to help McGregor.
That was the spark in the creation of Gregorpalooza. That year's event sold out. Over $15,000 was raised for McGregor and at the end of the night, 30 guests went home bald, all in support of McGregor. He left that night knowing the city of Elliot Lake was behind him.
This year, Ucci explained that his good friend, Brandon Lipinski, is the recipient of Gregorpalooza.
Being a quiet and an introvert, Lipinski was reluctant at first to be the recipient. This is due to the fact that Lipinski wanted to make sure there wasn't another resident more in need.
According to Ucci, choosing Lipinski was an easy decision.
"It was a no brainer," he explained before the party. "He deserves it."
At the beginning of the year, Lipinski underwent a procedure to remove a mixed germ tumour. After the procedure, everything looked great. The blood tests and scans showed no signs of cancer for the following six months. But during the summer, tests showed that Lipinski's blood began to show cancer markers. After enduring more scans, they showed Lipinski had a large tumour in his abdomen.
Because of this, Lipinksi had to undergo three months of treatment. He also has pre-existing medical conditions, such as Crohn's disease, Ankylosing Spondylitis and Uveitis. This makes it harder for his body to accept the medical treatments and has to have the treatments in Toronto, where he's monitored by specialists.
"But Brandon's a fighter," said Ucci. "He's got this."
As of last week, scans showed that Lipinski had a small, yet persistent, tumour in the small of his back. Because of this, Lipinski has to undergo surgery in the beginning of 2018.
Seeing Lipinksi accept each new diagnosis, Ucci said he's seen first hand the effects of the treatments as well as the recovery of Lipinski.
"He's very strong and such a great guy," he explained. "I couldn't have picked a better recipient."
Throughout the night, guests will hear speeches from Ucci, Lipinski and will have a moment of silence for year eight recipient, Evan Griffen, who lost her battle with cancer this past year.
"We want to remember her for who she was," said Ucci. "We will have a moment of silence to remember her. She fought hard."
Upon entering, guests will be able to purchase t-shirts for the event. The two ladies in charge of those sales, Renie Stefanich and Sheila Ucci, have been helping with the event since the beginning.
"I've been helping for quite a while," explained Stefanich. "It's for a great cause."
"I've been doing this since the very beginning," expressed Sheila. "I'm always here to help."
So far, a sum of $7,000 has been raised for Lipinski. The event is going on until 2 a.m.