Rock the River Music Festival in Toms River will Benefit Kids with Brain Cancer

You have probably heard by now about the huge music festival coming to Toms River on July 27th with acts including David Cook from American Idol. Here are the concert details as well as how your money goes to help kids battling brain cancer.

Mike Maguire is the founder of the Little by Little Foundation, a non-profit for children battling brain cancer in NJ and across the country.

Little by Little is hosting a concert festival called Rock the River in Huddy Park, downtown Toms River, on July 27th from Noon - 9 pm. The headlining act is David  Cook from American Idol.  100% of the money raised goes directly to families currently fighting a brain cancer diagnosis.

Some of the families that this organization has helped will be on hand, including some who have lost their kids, and some survivors like beautiful 9-year old Avery Moskowitz from Monroe who had neuroblastoma and is currently 'no evidence of disease' but has many medical issues because of the after-effects.

So far since its inception, Little by Little has raised and donated $150,000 to families for everything from cost of treatments not covered, to funeral expenses, to paying mortgages and monthly expenses so that families can spend their last months together while their child is dying.

To get your tickets to Rock the River at Huddy Park, CLICK HERE!

The festival includes musical acts David  Cook, Cowboy Mouth, Sophia Ramos, RedRightReturn, Waiting on Mongo and 18th & Addison. It will also feature live graffiti art, a retro-style photo booth, kids entertainment and more to round out this exciting daylong festival. (Rain or shine!)

You can also get your tickets in person at Bubby's Beanery,  44 Washington  St., Toms River.

Tickets are $35 (children under 7 years old are free) or $40 at the door.

Mike Maguire tells us why Little By Little means so much. Here are his beautiful words:

"Brain cancer does not discriminate.

It doesn't care what side of the political spectrum you're on, if you're black or white, the most devout religious person or an atheist. Brain cancer destroys indiscriminately. It is the leading killer of children worldwide.

After a long, hard fight, my wife, Kim, became brain cancer's victim.

When she passed away in late February 2017, I knew I needed to do something meaningful in her memory. I needed to help other families struggling with a brain cancer diagnosis, just as my wife had begun to do even during her darkest hour.

Whether it is on a personal level by funding treatments for an individual patient, or on a more global level by increasing awareness of this disease and helping increase research dollars, our family will continue these efforts for Kim. And we have faith we'll get there 'Little by Little.'

The phrase 'Little by Little' came directly from my wife. She started using it shortly after her first surgery. You see, Kim was always a 'million miles a minute' Type A personality. But after her surgery when she struggled to speak, walk and do other daily tasks that we all take for granted, she started using this simple phrase regularly. Kim would say things like, 'I'm going to walk around the hospital floor little by little. I'm going to pass my neurology tests, little by little.' Kim used it so frequently that even her doctors and nurses started saying it. They wrote it on the board in her room and it belonged to her. It eventually became our family mantra.

Prior to July 5th, 2015, our family was much like other suburban families. That day our life took a turn that no one could see coming. The backbone of our family, my wife and mother to our three children, had a seizure. Days later, this woman, whose only hospital stays ended with the births of her children, was diagnosed with a low grade glioma. Within a month, it went from low grade to high grade and she was given a death sentence. My Kim had glioblastoma (GBM).

It was a University of Pennsylvania Hospital in September of 2015, just prior to her first 10 hour brain surgery, that Kim tried to give a $50 gift card to another patient, a young boy of just 16-year-old. It was just like my wife to be thinking of someone else while she was so scared herself. Kim knew, even during her time of need, that she wanted to do more to help those less fortunate. Through the Little by Little Foundation, we intend to carry on her giving spirit and help promote life-saving brain cancer research."

Thank you Mike, for sharing your story, and may your wife's legacy be what helps other families who are struggling with a nightmare like what your family had to endure. You are one of the good guys.

If you would like to donate or get more info about the Little by Little Foundation, CLICK HERE.