Fundraiser, Music Fest Celebrates Musician Who Died From Rare Form Of Bone Cancer

Elkridge, Md. (WJZ)-- An Elkridge family is creating a lasting legacy for the son they lost to cancer.

Bo Oliver played and built musical instruments, but the music went silent when bone cancer cut his young promising life short at 20 years old.

Oliver's room could be found the exact way it was when he died in June of 2016 from a rare room of bone cancer. Oliver could be found there playing his instruments.

"I don't want to change anything. This is him," said Bo's mom Kathy Oliver. "He brought so much music into our lives and now our lives are quiet without that."

Music was Bo's companion during his diagnosis, treatment, remission and then recurrence of his cancer.

"We kinda laughed," Kathy said. "When he would prepare to go to inpatient he would pack his guitar, his amp, forget the underwear, forget the socks."

Oliver became known for his music at Johns Hopkins. The Ulman Cancer Fund is going to add a music room to Hopkins' Pediatric Center in Bo's honor.

In third grade, Oliver and his band preformed at Artscape in Baltimore. His dad, Buddy Oliver, says they were the youngest band to ever play at the art festival.

Oliver also received a scholarship from the Ulman Cancer Fund and was accepted into Boston's Berkeley School of Music.

Buddy and Kathy created the Bo Strong Foundation "to share that healing aspect of music with other kids."

At 16, Oliver worked at Daniels Restaurant in Elkridge, the scene of the fundraiser held in his honor, located at 5854 Washington Boulevard.

The Bo Strong Foundation's larger purpose is to fund all forms of holistic treatment for young people fight cancer. The fundraiser is Saturday from noon until 4 p.m.

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