Music for the heart: A fundraiser of hope

It’s a story of perseverance, hope, and family love—all displayed through music this Saturday at the Garapan Central Park—as family members and friends of singer Amber Mendiola-Romolor gather to host the “Music for the Heart” benefit concert for her, and they’re inviting the community to join them.

The singer of hit songs Isa Lei, My Baby Boy and Set Me Free, Mendiola-Romolor, was born with Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect that combines four complex heart abnormalities. Medical specialists told her parents she wouldn’t live past 18 and that she would never have kids.

She now has a healthy son and is 33, but her remarkable triumphs also came at a cost. Throughout her life, Mendiola-Romolor has had five open-heart surgeries and four minor surgeries. She was recently told that she would need another open-heart surgery in California before February.

To fundraise for her medical referral, Mendiola-Romolor’s family is hosting the benefit concert on Nov. 4, 2023 at Garapan Central Park from 6pm to 11pm, with the aim of raising funds for the medical costs, flights and lodging.

Mendiola-Romolor said she feels quite touched that her family are coming together to hold an event like this, and she knew times are tough on the community, and to get medical referral money is a struggle in its own.

“Unfortunately, with how the medical referral system is right now I will definitely need to do the fundraisings to basically live, travel, and go there on my own. That’s what it’s kind of come down to,” she said.

Mendiola-Romolor was initially opposed to doing any type of medical fundraiser. “That was really just because I know that the community is suffering a lot, the economy is not the greatest…[and] people are going through different things, but once we actually sat down and really went through what’s needed, it was very clear that I will need to have some sort of fundraiser,” she added.

She said her family suggested a benefit concert. After all, coming from a long line of musicians, that was their niche, Mendiola-Romolor said. Her grandfather was actually one of the original members of a band called TropicSette. Her mother was also a singer in a band, while her father was a lead guitarist, and now she and her siblings a are different forms of artists—mainly musical.

“When my family and I were talking about it, we were thinking…[of]…doing a fundraiser [that] also gives back to the community and one of the things that came up was doing a concert because that’s our thing. Our family is all about music. So, when we decided okay, we’re going to do a family concert featuring our family, but we [also] wanted to include other bands,” she said.

Other bands, musicians, and vocalists such as Sugar King Band, Los Lobos, Kings and Dreamers, Ace Elameto, Big Jay, and TatzSelepeo will be joining them for the concert.

Mendiola-Romolor said this would be the first time in years she would sing in a concert again, and that it was special because she would not only sing with her family, but with her children as well.

“It’s going to be beautiful because…the bands are family. Some of them are family within the band. Some of them are my family but they have their own band and so this is a family event as well and we’re really excited about it,” she said.

Some of the numbers she and her family will be playing are songs from the original TropicSette band. “We’re also going to be playing songs from my album. When I was a teenager, I actually was a part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and my wish was to do an album. And so, I went and did an album in Guam and showcased it here in the CNMI and a lot of people loved the music. This is the first time I’m going to be playing the music again in such a long time. It’s been years since I’ve played my own music and so I’m going to be bringing that back to the stage again.”

Yes, the concert is a fundraiser for her medical referral, but Mendiola-Romolor sees it as more than that and she hopes to give back to the community.

“We are seeing that it’s gaining a lot of traction. A lot of people are very interested in coming out for the cause because I’m also treating it as something bigger than me. Yes, it is to fundraise for my medical referral but at the same time it’s also to bring people together,” she said.

As a build-up toward the event Mendiola-Romolor has been posting promotional videos of her and her siblings singing several music covers.

This early, Mendiola-Romolor is already grateful to the community. “Our community is so wonderful. And for someone who was born with a heart condition, this is the only thing I’ve ever known all of my life. I didn’t have a normal childhood because I was always in and out of hospitals, I even thought that the hospital was my home. I couldn’t play with other kids, and finally being an adult and being told ‘Oh you need to go for another heart surgery’ was really scary. But this community has been so supportive; have been giving prayers, and love, and just support in all different kinds of ways. And I just want to thank the community for all they’re doing. And so, I just want to thank the community and praise the community for being so amazing,” she said. “Somebody once told me that the CNMI, regardless of our diverse cultures, is built on love and I’m definitely feeling that now. It’s kind of overwhelming actually.”

Romolor also thanks her main sponsors, KKMP and Turnkey Solutions, for all their support and help.

Concert doors open at 5:30pm, and performances start at 6pm until 11pm.

Tickets are $25 and children under 7 are free. To purchase tickets, contact Mendiola-Romolor through Facebook or email 670amberfundraiser@gmail.com. Donations can also be made on her website https://www.ambermendiolaromolor.com/.