A longtime Forest Hills resident is seeking to turn personal grief into an initiative to raise funds for families facing Stage 4 breast cancer with a benefit concert at Bloom Botanical Bistro in the neighborhood later in October.
James Ramsey, founder of live cover band Every Thing Covered, has always viewed music as a means of bringing people together, but those views have taken on a much stronger meaning since his wife Claire was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021.
Ever since Claire’s diagnosis, Every Thing Covered has been using its music to raise funds for the American Cancer Society and participate in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer events in Central Park and the Bronx.
But in 2024, “everything changed” when Ramsey’s mother-in-law Lesley Connolly was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. She died just six weeks later after her family was informed that there were no possible treatment options.
“For us that experience raised a painful question,” Ramsey said. “What could have been different if there had been more research, more funding, more treatment options and more time?”
His band will now join forces with Reclaim October for a fundraising concert for Stage 4 breast cancer research and support at Bloom Botanical Bistro on Oct. 23. The concert, which runs from 7-10 p.m., aims to raise funds for Reclaim October, an organization aiming to challenge conventonal approaches to Breast Cancer Awareness Month by challenging companies for promoting pink ribbons in October but “doing nothing” to support the cause.
Photo via James Ramsey
The organization aims to reclaim Breast Cancer Awareness Month from commercial exploitation while also ensuring that funds raised for breast cancer research are directed toward Stage 4 research as much as early detection.
Ramsey and Every Thing Covered also partnered with Reclaim October for a benefit concert at Bloom Botanical last year and raised funds for the American Cancer Society during an inaugural benefit concert held after Connolly’s death in 2024.
This year, Bloom Botanical will donate 10% of every Hibiscus Margarita and Hibiscus Mocktail sold throughout the month to Reclaim October. Every Thing Covered will also host a number of raffles and fundraisers on Oct. 23 to help raise funds for the organization.
Claire Ramsey, a breast cancer survivor, said her own diagnosis “awakened” her to the fact that “not enough” money is provided for Stage 4/metastatic breast cancer research. The Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance noted that only 13% of breast cancer research funding went toward metastatic breast cancer research between 2014 and 2020, even though it accounts for the vast majority of all breast cancer-related deaths.
“That’s where the money needs to be,” she said. “There needs to be more money to give these women more options, more lines of treatment.”
James, meanwhile, said it is “so important” for him and his band to be able to help raise money for Stage 4 breast cancer research. He added that the upcoming fundraiser “isn’t simply another fundraising concert,” but a way of honoring the legacy of his late mother-in-law.
Lesley Connolly died in 2024. Photo via James Ramsey
“She had a very gentle, loving spirit. Her entire life was about her family and she loved to take care of anyone who needed help. She also loved a family party and had a very generous pour when making a drink,” James said. “We’d like this event to embody her spirit, love and fun.
“(This concert) is a way of honoring Lesley and trying to make sure that another family facing a Stage 4 diagnosis has more choices than this family did,” added. “We need more options. We need more research. We need more funding. And we need more time.”
Ramsey, who founded Every Thing Covered in 2007, said it “means everything” to be able to use the band to support such a personal cause.
“we’re actually able to help other people,” he said. “We’re just using music and it’s awesome. It brings us all closer together.”