For Sahara

The day Sahara Aldridge found out she had a tumor on her brain stem, her 12th birthday, she sent her father to a store with $20 of her birthday money. She asked him to buy crayons for the other children in the hospital.

That's the person Rick Springfield came all the way to Cape Girardeau to play a benefit concert for last weekend. More than 1,700 people attended the concert, the biggest fund-raiser in the history of the Show Me Center. Still more money was raised through a silent auction of memorabilia donated by the rock singer/actor. The total amount raised at the concert is estimated at $60,000.

Others have organized fund-raising campaigns to help with Sahara's medical bills by selling wristbands and a cookbook containing recipes donated by the Southeast Missouri State University community. The Academy of Dance Arts, Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, the Mike Renick Band, the rock band Disturbed and many businesses have gotten involved in helping raise money for Sahara.

Sahara, who loves basketball, cats, shopping, cheesecake and music, is receiving treatment in Houston and at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau.

Friday night, Springfield left no fan wanting. Sahara stayed up way past her bedtime greeting her own fans.

Springfield became friends with the Aldridge family seven years ago after meeting Sahara and her mother Amy at one of his concerts. He features information about Sahara's fight with cancer prominently on his Web site. His newest message on the site says of the concert, "The feeling in the arena was unique to say the least: kind of like a family gathering for several thousand."

Donations can be sent to the Sahara Hoops Aldridge "Slam Dunk" Cancer Fund, 325 N. Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701.