Reik Visits Patients and Gives a Special Concert Performance

On June 21 Latin Grammy®-winning pop group, Reik, visited patients and performed an acoustic performance of a few of their favorite songs.

The group was in Los Angeles attending the SESAC Latina Awards, where Jesus, the lead singer, received an award for his song, “Peligro.”

Reik’s first stop was the Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases. The band members, Jesus, Julio and Gilberto (Bibi), spent a great deal of time interacting with patients and their family members individually. Asking questions such as “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and “What’s your favorite sport?” One patient shared that he wanted to be a police officer when he grows up. Jesus entertained the boy by pretending to be a police officer and saying “freeze” while holding-up an invisible police badge. This made the boy laugh. Crystal, who’s currently fighting Aplastic Anemia, enjoyed showing off her painted nails to the band members.

More than just bedside visits, the band members showed a genuine interest in learning more about the patients’ conditions. In fact, they spent much time inquiring with one of the resident doctors, Dr. Juan Espinoza.

To conclude their visit, Reik performed a number of songs in our Pediatric Rehab Unit. The patients and families enjoyed clapping and singing along. One of the highlights was when the band members shared a microphone with one of the patients, Tomas, so he could sing the chorus of the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun.”