When Dr. Patrick Hwu left Texas for Florida, he said adieu to his many musical friends and local band he played in. Having played in a band for more than 30 years, Hwu understands the value in having a meaningful creative outlet while dealing with a high-pressure job. Upon arrival in Tampa, the new Moffitt Cancer Center CEO set out to find the same synergy he had back in the Lone Star State and began recruiting fellow team members to create a new band at the cancer center.
Teamed with a multidisciplinary group of musically gifted Moffitt team members, Hwu is ready to take the Tampa music scene by storm. Whether playing an intimate rooftop concert or performing for a crowd of patients and staff, The ReMissions are ready to share their sound with the world. Named in honor of the one thing that every cancer patient hopes for — their disease to be in remission — they want their positive message to highlight the great work Moffitt is doing to fight cancer.
“Being in a band is really about teamwork,” said Hwu. “As opposed to being a solo performer, the role in a band isn’t to just play, but to hear and listen to everyone else. That’s what we do here that makes Moffitt so special. We’re a team. We listen to each other, work together and make harmony together.”
Meet The ReMissions
Dr. Dana Ataya, Breast Radiologist, Vocals
Learned piano at age 5, acoustic guitar at age 12
Dr. Dana Ataya, vocals
Currently learning to play the harmonica
Favorite song to jam to: It changes day to day but Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason” is her current fave
Favorite Concert: Nickel Creek
Currently listening to: “It’s All Right” by Jon Batiste
Music was a huge part of Ataya’s family life growing up. She grew up singing along with her maternal grandmother who was also a talented vocalist. Her mother took note of her natural gifts at a young age and introduced her to piano. She’s been playing ever since. A fan of all genres of music, she feels most at home belting out a good soul or jazz song. Why is music good for the soul? Ataya responds with a quote from Hans Christian Andersen, “Where words fail, music speaks.”
Dr. Patrick Hwu, President and CEO, Medical Oncologist, Researcher, Keyboard
Plays keyboard, piano, guitar and trumpet
Dr. Patrick Hwu, keyboard
Favorite decade of music is 1975-85
Loves all kinds of music but rock ’n’ roll and blues are his favorites
Favorite song to jam to: “Stormy Monday,” The Allman Brothers Band’s version
Favorite concert: Queen
Currently listening to: Boston and Fleetwood Mac
Raised by parents that loved classical music and musicals, Hwu grew up listening to his parents’ vast record collection. He began formal piano lessons in third grade but started playing rock ’n’ roll and blues in high school. He grew up in St. Albans, West Virginia, but he traveled to the Tampa Bay area to play trumpet with his high school marching band in the 1981 Gasparilla Parade. When not jamming out with The ReMissions on the keyboard, he can be found playing the mellower tunes of James Taylor on the guitar. If he could play with any musician, dead or alive, he says Freddie Mercury is at the top of the list, which is appropriate since the first concert he attended was Queen. Why is music good for the soul? "It nourishes your creative side, inspires and enhances resiliency," said Hwu. "Our number one rule for the band is to have fun!"
Jeff Leighton, Registered Nurse, Intensive Care Unit, Bass
Plays bass and guitar
Jeff Leighton, bass
Has been playing in bands for 45 years
Mostly listens to classic rock, progressive rock and jazz
Favorite song to jam to: “Stormy Monday”
Favorite concert: Pink Floyd and The Alan Parsons Project
Currently listening to: Whatever The Remissions are currently playing. “We have a large repertoire!”
Leighton was introduced to music by his mother, who used to watch “American Bandstand” every afternoon when he was growing up. He also credits Detroit radio for igniting his passions for all types of music including the blues, R&B, Motown and soul. He wishes he could jam out with Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix or The Doors. Why is music good for the soul? Leighton feels grateful and blessed to be able to perform. “Playing music feeds the soul like nothing else I have encountered,” he said. “It amazes me how a group of people can make magic out of thin air.”
Dr. James Mulé, Researcher, Associate Center Director of Translational Science, Guitar
Plays electric guitar, acoustic guitar and the lute
Dr. James Mulé, lead guitar
Has a collection of 29 guitars
Plays solely by ear
Favorite music genres include blues and hard rock
Favorite song to jam to: “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin
Favorite concert: The Who at Madison Square Garden
Currently listening to: Pearl Jam and Radiohead
Mulé was introduced to music at a very young age when his grandfather took him to the New York Metropolitan Opera on Sundays. Later, he found himself listening to the greats at famous music club CBGB. A self-taught guitarist, he learned how to play solely by ear when he was in high school, but eventually learned techniques from the top guitar instructors in Detroit, Chicago and Tampa. If he could jam out with anyone, it would be Steve Howe, the famous guitarist of the English progressive rock band Yes. Mulé says playing music is good for the soul because it challenges him.
Plays drums, conga drums and timbales
Ron Zalvo, drums
Loves all genres of music
Favorite song to jam to: Too many to name!
Favorite concert: Santana
Currently listening to: Everything, but recently ’80s and ’90s rock
Zalva started playing drums at only 5 years old. By age 12, he already had his own band, The Shantelles. Playing in bands has been a huge part of his life, and he continued his passions while playing in The Paragons. If he could play with anyone, dead or alive, it would be “The Drum Wonder” himself, Buddy Rich. He loves all genres of music including jazz, rock ’n’ roll, blues, soul and Latin. Zalva believes that music feeds the soul and says his favorite quote is, “Music is what feelings sound like.”
Amanda Sangster served in administration at Moffitt before plunging headfirst into the PR team as an account coordinator. A proud Nashville native, she won her first award for songwriting at 5, despite being completely tone deaf. With a degree in Speech Rhetoric, she moved to Tampa to study Communication, International Relations and Paralegal Studies at the University of South Florida. In her free time, Amanda volunteers at a local foster care center and explores the great outdoors, hiking the Appalachian Mountains or SCUBA diving off the Emerald Coast.
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