What do country music, Mixed Martial Arts fighting, and cancer have in common? They’re all part of this Saturday's Fight for Life event, the biggest fundraiser of the year for the newly-formed Kern County Cancer Fund and it's guaranteed to be one of the "coolest" events Bakersfield will see.
With every slice and dice from a chainsaw, crews are turning ice into something nice - a frigid lounge that'll be one of Fight for Life's hottest spots.
"We have ice bars, the ice lounge," said Leslie Knox, Creator of Fight for Life. "277,000 pounds of ice we had brought in." It's an icy way to heat up one of the biggest cancer fundraisers in Kern County, and it gets even cooler. "We have 40,000 square feet of VIP, a human chandelier, we have whiskey and cigar bars, dance floors," said Knox.
From the deep freeze to the spotlight, the stage will be set for a Mixed Martial Arts fight and a concert by country music superstars Little Big Town. It will be a no-holds-barred way to help cancer survivors.
"This is a nice set up and I'm looking forward to attending the program," said Michael Dallas. Dallas and his wife Felicia were among the first to see behind the scenes of Fight for Life. He's currently fighting for his own life, battling Leukemia.
"I was diagnosed May 9th at Kern Medical Center, that's when I found out I was diagnosed with Leukemia AML," Dallas said. But Dallas is also first in another way. He's receiving financial help from the newly-created Kern County Cancer Fund that's partnering with Fight for Life. "They're helping me with some of my medical expenses, the medicine in general," Dallas said.
Kern County Cancer Fund helps with problems cancer survivors like Dallas commonly face. When you’re fighting for your life, organizers hope to make it a battle you don't fight alone.
"At my age, I never thought I would have cancer, but now I have it and I'm fighting for my life," Dallas said.
Fight for Life kicks off Saturday at 5 p.m. at Bakersfield Indoor RV at 3200 Buck Owens Blvd.
Tickets are $350 for general admission and $1,500 for VIP access. You can buy tickets through
www.valleytix.com or by going to
www.fightforlifeevent.org.
All proceeds raised will go towards the Kern County Cancer Fund.
