THE ENTERTAINMENT fraternity has delivered to colleagues George Jones and Smokey Burke.
Proceeds from the benefit concert held for the two cancer patients at the Plantation Garden Theatre on April 18 were handed over to family members last Saturday.
Smokey’s sister Delcia and Jones’ wife Nicole received cheques for $30 000 each.
Both Nicole and Delcia thanked the musicians, who were brought on board by John Roett, and everyone else who responded to the call to assist their loved ones in their time of need.
Jones, who resides in the Cayman Islands and is expected to be here for a number of shows this Crop-Over, is said to be doing much better, but still has a long way to go.
“It was very heart-warming; we are very, very happy. There was not a time that we felt as though we were going through this on our own. We always had the backing of everybody, the musicians were great we had the Bajan community in Grand Cayman, who was behind us.
“And it wasn’t only behind us; it was letting us know that they were there. It was the phone calls, the emails, the texts. Everybody was just there,” Nicole said.
George had surgery for colon cancer in February and, according to Nicole, subsequent tests on his lymph nodes have turned up cancer-free.
Jones has an underlying condition which would have been aggravated by chemotherapy and radiation, and Nicole said they had opted to go for alternative treatments.
Smokey is receiving chemotherapy for non-Hodgkins lymphoma in Canada. He will miss this year’s Crop-Over season, but Delcia said he was getting good responses for his performances in the calypso competition in Canada.
“I would like to thank the entertainment fraternity for coming together and planning and executing the venture. I would also like to thank corporate Barbados and the organisations and individuals who would have contributed,” Delcia said.
She said Smokey was doing well, and doctors were pleased with his progress.
“He is in high spirits. He has lost his hair, but he has not lost his sense of humour. He hasn’t lost his faith,” she stated. (YB)
