Paul C. Black

Paul Black Will Sing 4 A Cure

What events in a man’s life are powerful enough to shape his future destiny? A fair question asked recently of Paul Black – a successful Wilmington area web designer, singer/songwriter, husband and most profoundly a father of a child stricken with cancer.

Paul Black’s musicianship, along with his marketing and media savvy, have helped him to create a polished, professional outreach, Will Sing 4 A Cure. Through as many as 60-80 concerts each year Black straps on his acoustic guitar spreading awareness and raising funds for the medical research of children’s pediatric cancer - this is the destiny Paul Black was well prepared for and has fully embraced.

In 2003, Paul’s youngest child Nicholas, then 2 ½, was diagnosed with cancer and though successfully treated and in remission, Paul and his wife Heather faced the very real possibility of losing their son to Neuroblastoma, an aggressive cancer that had developed into a large tumor blocking the large intestine.

“We thought Nicholas was just having an upset stomach and because he was so young he couldn’t really tell us where it hurt or what was wrong,” said Black in a recent phone interview from his busy Bolivia, NC office. A potentially devastating mis-diagnosis of constipation and the ineffective treatment that followed almost spelled the end for young Nicholas and in seeking additional opinions an expert finally discovered the truth and gave the anxious parents the bad news. “When we first heard the word “mass” we knew immediately it meant cancer and we were stunned - it hit us like a ton of bricks.”

Once aggressive treatment was started, including tumor extraction, six additional surgeries, stem cell therapy, bone marrow aspirations and chemotherapy did the Blacks start to realize their blessings. “We finally knew what the problem was and were treating it with the best care we could find – the team of medical professionals at the Pediatric Cancer center at Duke University - they saved his life.” Equally important was the care he and his family received at home. “The outpouring from so many people to our family – the prayers, meals, phone calls…our church family – it was so important and so helpful.”

After Nicholas was out of imminent danger Paul Black turned to back to his music, a passion that had been put on hold years earlier while he went about the business of supporting his family, including two older children, Nicholas’ sisters Meghan, 10 and Hannah, 7.

Once the doctor’s declared “remission” Black was not willing to sit back and relax with the battle over but instead was inspired to jump with full force into a new-found cause. He started Will Sing For A Cure and in this current year, the “ministry” will bring his uplifting messages and pleas for help back to the Myrtle Beach area with no less than 20 confirmed dates, mostly at Barefoot Landing and at other area malls. “This is volunteer work for me,” said Black. “We don’t receive any funds from any place I perform. I put out a tip jar and present information pamphlets describing our cause. Last year we raised and distributed $16,000.00.”

With a very busy 2006 schedule packing in at least 20 additional dates throughout North and South Carolina, it’s helpful to understand why he might devote so much time and energy raising funds for research.

“Pediatric cancer kills more children each year than Aids, Diabetes, Asthma, and Cystic Fibrosis combined,” said Black “Yet the funding for this cancer is well below any one of these other diseases, all of which are of course worthy of funding – it’s just that Pediatric Cancer is the one that hit closest to home.”

His is a one-man show, mixing popular cover tunes in with his own originals – an hour or two at the Little River Crab Festival, or the food court at Coastal Grand Mall or Colonial Mall and at Barefoot Landing. “Anywhere lots of people gather.

“This is not a big production. I can never give enough back to repay what I’ve received. I realize that the money I raise is just a drop in the bucket, but enough drops in enough buckets can make a real difference.”

Other than the scars in five-year-old Nicholas’ abdomen you’d never know he had ever had cancer, stated Black. “He’s a happy, well adjusted kid and we are a blessed family.”

Paul Black’s performance and information ministry Will Sing For A Cure will be in concert at area malls this spring and summer. Call Monarch Media for a performance schedule (910-755-2421) or go to the web at www.willsing4acure.com
- GS MAGAZINE

BY SARAH SHEW WILSON, Staff writer

A great voice, wonderful and imaginative songs, and a great stage performance, who ever would have thought that this all came as a result of a little boy with cancer?

A lively 3 1/2-year-old, Nicholas Black, son of Paul and Heather Black of Bolivia, enjoys climbing anything that can be climbed, asking questions about whatever he doesn't understand and singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star whenever it comes to mind.

To look at him, no one would guess that just a little more than a year ago, he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, cancer that arises in immature nerve cells, mostly in infants and children.

Now, after numerous treatments, Nicholas is in remission, and his father, a lifelong songwriter, has found a purpose to resume his music career-raising money for children with cancer at Duke University Medical Center, where his son was successfully treated.

Paul Black's first performance will be Jan. 8 at Coastal Cinemas in Shallotte from 7 to 10 p.m. All tip proceeds received will go to Duke.

A startling diagnosis

The horror of cancer hit the Black family in late 2003, when Nicholas was taken to Dosher Hospital and New Hanover Regional Medical Center with what his parents thought was constipation. After going through numerous procedures to try to flush his system out over several days, finally, a pediatric surgeon identified the tumor in Nicholas' pelvis.


In November of 2003, he was taken by ambulance to Duke, where he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma.

"He went through multiple chemotherapies," his father recalled in a recent interview. "The protocol was to start with the chemotherapy because the tumor was so large that they were afraid if they tried to operate on it, its volatility could kill him because of the vascular structure of the tumor."

So the doctors decided to begin with chemotherapy in order to shrink the softball-sized tumor and were successful.

"They were able to, through the chemotherapy, shrink the size of the tumor by about 70-80 percent."

The surgeons then removed 90 percent of the remaining cancerous mass. Several more rounds of low-dose chemotherapy killed the rest, but Nicholas also went through a stem-cell transplant and a dozen rounds of radiation.

"Right now, he's on a type of chemotherapy that we give him at home which uses the drug Accutane," Paul Black explained. "I say Accutane and everybody thinks acne, but they found through research that the drugs in Accutane help the cells mature faster. Neuroblastoma cells are immature cells that have caused the cancer, and so the Accutane will go in and take those immature neuroblast cells and make them grow into regular cells."

Accutane contains retinoic acid, which has been shown to stop the growth of some neuroblastomas, according to research by doctors at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, and the effect lasts after the drug is discontinued.

Nicholas will take Accutane until February, when he will return to Duke for another round of scans to ensure that he is still in remission.

"When he was diagnosed with the disease, they gave him approximately a 75 percent chance of long-term survival, which is a little bit higher than normally neuroblastoma would be, but he had stage 3 neuroblastoma, which means it was not metastatic. It was nowhere else in his body," Black explained.

'Still a little boy'

Despite all the major treatments and surgeries, Nicholas' attitude remained positive, which is what his family says got them through the difficult days.

"He was what got us through as well as we got through as a family," said Black. "As bad as it got, he was still a little boy, and that's something we noticed with many of the children at Duke. Despite how difficult the cancer treatments were, they were still little boys and girls inside."

Nicholas couldn't walk from November of 2003 until the middle of January 2004 because the tumor was pressing on a nerve.

"That kept him from being able to walk but he wanted to; he wanted to play; he wanted to be a little boy. And he took things in stride.

"It was because of his strength and spirit that we were able to deal with it as well as we did," said Black, noting that the family grew closer to each other, to God and to their church family at the Latter Day Saints Church in Shallotte.

"It has been just a remarkable experience," he said. "I wouldn't want to repeat it, but we have found much, much good coming out of this horrible experience."

Their fellow church members brought meals, provided moral support and "more than anything else, they just offered prayer."

"We're convinced it was the power of the prayer and the spirit and the talent and abilities that the doctors and nurses at Duke were given that's why he's here now."

Finding a purpose

Paul Black, who moved to Brunswick County with his family in 2001, has been writing songs to express himself since he could write.

He never seriousl - Brunswick Beacon - North Carolina

By Jo Ann Mathews
For The Sun News

Paul C. Black sat under a canopy in the sizzling heat at the Blue Crab Festival on May 15 and sang "Give Kids the World," one of the 60-plus songs he wrote.

With a pure and wonderful voice, a rich sound and music that reaches deep into the soul, Paul attracts a growing crowd to his location.

He encouraged people to reach in the box that had free wristbands emblazoned with "Will Sing 4 A Cure." He explained that he was singing to raise money for children suffering from cancer, for research at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., and for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Black's love for music is only superseded by his love for his family. He devised the Will Sing 4 a Cure tour after his son Nicholas Black was diagnosed with a form of cancer called Neuroblastoma that develops in children, usually near the adrenal glands. It happened in November 2003 when Nicholas was only 2 years old.

"It hit us like a freight train. It was the day after Halloween, the day our daughter was being baptized," the Bolivia, N.C., resident said. "My father died of cancer three weeks before Nicholas was diagnosed."

Doctors found a tumor the size of a softball in Nicholas' pelvis. Surgery removed 90 percent of the tumor. The child received chemotherapy, radiation and a stem-cell trans plant at Duke University Medical Center. He needed a temporary colostomy. In June 2004, the boy was declared in remission.

The life-altering event inspired the child's dad to show his gratitude for his son's survival.

"Life was never the same," Black said. "It was time for me to change my focus. The Lord blessed us by curing Nicholas."

Countless people encouraged the family and prayed for them, and Black said he knew he couldn't personally thank everyone.

"I tried to think of a way I could give back to humanity," he said.

His wife, Heather Black, was in total agreement with whatever he chose to do. The couple wanted their daughters, Meghan, 9, and Hannah, 7, to stay positive while understanding that illness can beset a family.

Paul Black earns a living by developing and marketing Web sites through his company, Monarch Media Corp. Since 1991, he has been writing songs based on his life experiences. He knew he could make a contribution through music, so he decided to perform at local clubs and other venues.

But he took his gratitude a giant step further. After expenses, he donates 60 percent of the proceeds to Duke University Medical Center, 30 percent to Make-A-Wish Foundation and 10 percent to the community.

He began his performances in September but still wasn't satisfied. In January, he took another step. He started his Will Sing 4 a Cure tour for the sole purpose of raising people's awareness to help fund pediatric cancer research.

He plays both acoustic and electric guitars as well as piano and bills his performances as "passionate acoustic music based on life."

"Every song I write comes from inside," Black said. "It's an extension of myself. I can't write about a man cheating on his wife because I don't feel it. I have to have emotion."

He only performed his favorite song, "If I Could Take It All Away," once because of the emotion involved. It brings back memories of his son's hospital stay, the other children there, and the ones who didn't make it.

"I remember how alive my son was, even though he was very sick," he said. "I pray he remembers the love that surrounded him."

Black posts his contributions and purchases on his Web site, www.paulblackmusic.com, and doesn't even consider keeping any profit.

"They saved my son's life," he said. "Any show I do is for the cure."

Black has several appearances scheduled and is working on two CDs. "Songs You Can Live With," which is scheduled for release in March, includes 12 songs and is geared toward youth.

"It is meant to make you laugh," Black said. "It is a light-hearted poke at being sick. There's time enough to cry, so let's laugh a little bit."

"What Will It Take" is due out in Marc hand is geared toward adults.

The doctors are confident Nicholas is cured, although the cancer can come back.

"He's in the state of 'no evidence of disease,'" Black said. "As a family we've become stronger. As a family we've focused on the blessings - not the trauma."

He knows he's doing the right thing. "To not give back is to say my son got sick in vain," he said.

I can tell you that I for one am glad that he is singing and performing, for whatever reason. You will be too.
- Myrtle Beach Sun, SC