Teen Violinist Survives Cancer, Gets Carnegie Hall Gig

Joe Ginem didn't pick up a violin until age 12, but the two bonded instantly. Three years later, Joe, of Tampa, Fla., was concertmaster for his high school orchestra, planning to attend the coveted New England Music Camp and hoping for a career as a violinist.

Then, in January 2006, Joe began complaining of pain in his right arm. His teacher assumed it was improper technique — until the pain turned into paralysis.

Doctors found a tumor in Joe's right shoulder. He had osteosarcoma, a bone cancer that can develop in teenage boys during growth spurts.

In April 2006, Joe began weekly chemotherapy treatments, which he likened to “getting hit by a semi truck.” He bones became so brittle that they broke, piercing his muscles. But Joe was on such heavy pain medication, he didn't know it. He lost 30 pounds, along with his long hair.

In August, doctors removed the tumor and performed a rare limb-salvage surgery, replacing his humerus bone with titanium. While he was being wheeled into surgery, he was listening to violinist Itzhak Perlman on his iPod.

By Christmas, Joe had started practicing again. When his chemotherapy ended in February, he auditioned again for his school orchestra. And last week, he auditioned for the Patel Conservatory Youth Orchestra, which will play at Carnegie Hall this June.

Before the audition, Joe and the orchestra's director, William Wiedrich, agreed that Joe would be judged on his performance only — no sympathy vote allowed.

Before he had even set down his bow, Wiedrich told him, “Welcome to New York.”

“He owned every note,” Wiedrich said.

A few weeks earlier, Joe had taken the stage at his high school for a benefit concert for Moffitt Cancer Center, where he is being treated. He organized the event, charging $5 a ticket, to raise awareness about osteosarcoma, which has a 60 to 80 percent survival rate if caught early.

“They saved my life, they saved my arm, they saved my dream,” Joe said. “It's the least I can do.”