Photo provided by Karen Carter

Wendy Parks Miller has been battling HER2-positive breast cancer since August 2011. A benefit concert will be held at Yadkinville Town Park on April 29 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Vouchers for the concert at $10 and can be purchased through the Breast Cancer Research Group.

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enjoying a pleasant afternoon in the park this weekend could also help a fellow Yadkin County resident battling breast cancer.

Wendy Parks Miller was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer. Miller has received a lumpectomy and has been attending chemotherapy treatments every three weeks. Miller also began radiation treatments in March and will have to endure 33 treatments.

Miller was diagnosed with breast cancer after being a few months late with her regular mammogram. Doctors were able to catch the cancerous cells before they spread to other areas of her body.

Miller is the mother of 16-year-old son, Wesley, and 11-year-old son, Brady. She married her high school sweetheart, Will.

“Wendy Miller is one of millions of amazing women who are incredibly resilient and willing to fight with every ounce of their being to beat this dreaded disease,” said Karen Carter, a close friend to Miller, and organizer of the benefit. “If we all possessed and practiced the strength and determination like women fighting breast cancer do, the world would find a cure for this disease that claims too many lives.”

Carter devised a plan for a benefit concert to help raise money for Miller’s ever-growing medical bills. The event will feature Yadkinville native Landon Parker as the headlining performer. Parker is an up-and-coming country music musician.

“We were brainstorming, and it came down between a concert or a golf tournament,” Carter said. “My 11-year-old suggested Landon Parker and to be completely honest I had never heard of him before. We started listening to his songs on Youtube and knowing that he was local and that he went to Forbush encouraged me.”

Carter said she reached out to Parker through Facebook.com and that he immediately agreed to do the benefit refusing to take any money for his performance.

Parker landed on the country music radar after winning the Triad’s Got Talent competition in 2010. Today he is working on recording his first album in Nashville, TN and already has plans to open for acts like Reba McIntyre, Eric Church, Joe Nichols and many more.

Parker said that he decided to get involved with the benefit because he wants to help people heal with his music.

“I’m trying to reach out to people because music really helped me through hard times with my grandpa passing away and he was sick with pancreatic cancer,” Parker said. “I’m trying to help people with cancer and with other illnesses with my music. I figured if I do music why not do it for a good reason?”

The benefit concert will be the first time Parker will be performing with his newly-formed band. He said that concert attendees can expect an interactive experience on Sunday.

“I’ll be trying to get the crowd involved and just trying to let everybody have a good time,” Parker said. “I like to engage the crowd and let them be a part of what I’m doing.”

Parks Manager Lonnie Hicks says that Parker’s debut album will be out sometime in June. The album, tentatively titled “Country Side” has been a work in progress for the past eight months.

“It’s going to be a good mix of different tunes from upbeat to ballads that really showcase Landon’s voice and talent,” Hicks said. “Every song on it is going to be really good we feel like. It’ll really put Landon in the spotlight.”

Parker says that his brother, Nathan, has written most of the songs on his new album. The album will feature eight to 10 songs, some of which can be found on Youtube.com today.

“We have two songs that are already online, and one has 27,000 views and it’s called ‘Staying the Same,’” Parker said. ‘[The album is] going to be a mix between modern day country and a little bit of old. It’s mostly going to be [similar to] Chris Young’s style.”

The concert will take place at Yadkinville Town Park on April 29 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Vouchers are $10 and are available for purchase at the Breast Cancer Research Group. Those interested can contact Robin or Carolyn. All proceeds from the concert will go directly to benefit the Miller family.

Concert attendees are allowed to bring picnics to the event but no alcohol will be permitted.

“My goal putting this together was to raise a little money, heighten awareness to breast cancer…and give Wendy a few hours of fun to remind her that life will once again be normal,” Carter said.

Reach Lindsay Craven at 679-2341 or at lcraven@heartlandpublications.com.