More than 100 sets of eyes at Main Street Trattoria on Tuesday night were locked on 10-year-old Marissa Peddie as she captivated her audience by playing the piano and singing a Taylor Swift tune.
The fact that Peddie, who is from Tarpon Springs, is winning her battle against leukemia brings it to another level of amazing.
Peddie was one of the guests of honor at Dick and Lorraine Vitale's pediatric cancer fundraiser, in which guests, many of them like the Vitales from the Lakewood Ranch area, were donating huge of amounts of money for a cause that is sometimes overlooked when it comes to money donated toward cancer research.
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Allison and Gary Fennessy, owners of Main Street Trattoria who hosted Tuesday's pediatric cancer fundraiser, visit with Dick Vitale on Tuesday night.
Gary Fennessy visits with Jim Roque just before dinner is served on Tuesday night.
Leslie Oliver of New Orleans, Marcie McGeehan of Lakewood Ranch and Wendy Garrard of Sarasota all enjoyed Dick and Lorraine Vitale's fundraiser while representing the Ritz Carlton.
Marissa Peddie, a 10-year-old from Tarpon Springs who is battling leukemia, entered the crowd of more than 100 people on Tuesday at the Dick and Lorraine Vitale fundraiser at Main Street Trattoria.
Mary Kenealy-Barbetta, Joe Barbetta, Tony DiMare and Debbie DiMare of Lakewood Ranch enjoy the wine before dinner is served at the Dick and Lorraine Vitale fundraiser.
Dick Vitale tells the story of the late Payton Wright, who died of cancer at age 5, while standing with Payton's parents, Patrick and Holly Wright.
Many silent auction items were donated to raise money toward pediatric cancer research.
Ernie Garcia of The Ernie Garcia Group at Morgan Stanley, the event's main sponsor, enjoys a laugh during Dick and Lorraine Vitale's pediatric cancer fundraiser on Tuesday at Main Street Trattoria.
Cancer survivors Jake Taraska, a 17-year-old from Bradenton, and Kyle Peters, a 16-year-old from Sarasota, have helped Dick Vitale in his quest to raise funds for pediatric cancer research.
