Former Jersey Boys star Jeff Leibow, organized his first Neurofibromatosis Hope benefit concert in Las Vegas in 2011. His hope was to make it an annual event that would go beyond the concert setting and effect the NF community as a whole. It did just that. He stated to the Las Vegas Sun,
“I hoped quietly to myself I would see the seventh and eighth and ninth and 10th concerts, and now we’re seeing it become reality.”
Jeff had left “Jersey Boys” back in 2014 to take on the role of director of development for the Chicago NF network. The seventh annual Las Vegas show will be at the Palazzo Theatre with a star studded list of performers, including Clint Holmes and Kelly Clinton, Mark Shunock and Cheryl Daro, the stars of “World’s Greatest Rock Show” at the Stratosphere and “Tenors of Rock” at Harrah’s and more.
Jeff and his wife, Melody, will also be performing a song chosen by their 8-year-old daughter Emma who suffers from Neurofibromatosis. This rare genetic disorder is located in the nervous system where tumors are formed on healthy nerve tissue. Most of the time the tumors are benign, but sometimes they can become cancerous. To learn more, click here.
Emma underwent intense surgery to try and remove the 30 tumors that are currently inside her. If you were to look at Emma, you’d never know she was suffering from NF. It’s been challenging for Jeff to raise money for the disease, being that it is so rare and doesn’t appear at first glance.
This year, his event is giving back to the community by donating a portion of the proceeds to the victims of the Las Vegas shooting.
“This is a really good opportunity to celebrate that and give back to the people who need it right now. And knowing we stopped to pay homage to this city and stand behind its people is important and necessary.”
