Little Zane In Da House!

August 19, 2023

Hello everyone! It's been a bit since we checked in over here at #ZaneMakesBetter but that's not because we haven't been busy! We have some exciting things going on with LegaStrings, Zane's Memorial Music Foundation and can't wait to update you guys early September on the happenings then.

Meanwhile, want to hear a fun story? Remember back when Zane first got his brain cancer diagnosis and we learned we would be going to St. Jude for treatment? Maybe not as that was November 2019. Well, a friend reached out at that time (April Rio Stringer) and let me know she knew a local family who had gone through treatment at St. Jude. And get this...their son is also named ZANE!! What are the odds?

So, Little Zane (as we call him) came over to our house before we left for Tennessee to talk to my Zane and reassure him that St. Jude was a magical place and there is no better place to be when fighting cancer. Little Zane was living proof. He was 12 at the time and my Zane was 20. What a brave kid to go into Zane's room, ask the rest of us to leave and sat with him for 20 minutes, just the two of them, with Little Zane doing most of the talking. I'll never forget it. The Zane Pow Wow. The Dynamic Duo.

Well, here we are 4 years later and Little Zane isn't so little anymore. He's 16 and drives, plays sports, is on the wrestling team and thriving academically. He is a beaming example of a fighter who has taken his life by the horns and is living it on HIS terms. He's been in remission from his blood disorder for years after his initial diagnosis at the age of 3. Halleluiah!

So, I was thrilled to have Little Zane and his momma Maranda (also a fierce one!) come to the Classic Albums Live: Billy Joel "The Stranger" show with me this past Saturday. They rocked the front row at their first CAL show and had a meet and greet with the band after.

It was an honor for me to have them there and was so happy that Chris Charles finally got to meet Little Zane! They were impressed with the musicianship of all the #classicalbumslive members and I have a feeling they will be frequent flyer members of future CAL shows!