New CD to support Super Sam

Jeremy Polston's new CD, "Travelin' On," debuts Friday at a free concert, 7 p.m. at the Fulton Event Center. Proceeds from CD sales will benefit the Super Sam Foundation, which supported his family while his son Gabriel battled cancer.
Jeremy Polston's new CD, "Travelin' On," debuts Friday at a free concert, 7 p.m. at the Fulton Event Center. Proceeds from CD sales will benefit the Super Sam Foundation, which supported his family while his son Gabriel battled cancer.

Music helped Jeremy Polston and his son bond.

"Gabriel loved music, period," Polston said. "When I'd sing at church, he had his own guitar that he'd play. He'd grab the microphone - he loved to entertain."

Now, Polston is using his music to help the organization that supported his family during Gabriel's three-year battle with a fatal cancer. He's playing a free concert 7 p.m. Friday at the Fulton Event Center (1915 N. Bluff St.) to celebrate the debut of his new album, "Travelin' On." Proceeds from the album's sale will benefit the child cancer research charity Super Sam Foundation.

Polston said he's glad to be able to support the foundation, which provided him and his wife, Erica, with moral support and helped the family pay for a trip to San Diego. Gabriel and SSF co-founder Cassie Santhuff's daughter, Ava, were close friends. Now, Polston wants to give back and help other families going through the same tough journey his did.

"We're very fortunate to have a foundation that's fighting for all the kids like Super Sam Foundation does," Polston said. "They make sure to stick to the meat of their mission."

Gabriel's story

Gabriel was just 2 years old when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a childhood cancer of the blood and bone marrow that attacks white blood cells. He went through a series of intense treatments, including a bone marrow transplant and two trials with experimental immune system therapies.

"He basically relapsed after each one of them," Polston said.

The family focused on helping Gabriel live the most full and happy life possible. They took a trip to Disney thanks to the Make-a-Wish foundation and played on the beach in San Diego.

His parents gave Gabriel a toy pickup truck in his favorite color, blue. The photo on the inner cover of the CD is Gabriel and his cousin in that truck, with Gabriel driving.

"He has this look on his face like, 'I'm about to do something to scare you,'" Polston said. "He loved to make people laugh."

Gabriel made friends with everyone he met and had a deep love for God, Polston added.

"The dad's supposed to teach the child, but he taught me so much," he said.

Gabriel passed away Jan. 8.

"He and his mother had this catchphrase together: 'Live like crazy today,'" Polston recalled. "We made a lot of good memories in a short amount of time."

Polston's new album is built around those memories. Its cover features a blue pickup that Gabriel would've loved. The 10 songs each come from the Southern gospel genre - Gabriel's favorite. Several are songs Polston and Gabriel sang together.

"I never could get him to stand still long enough to record him, but I can hear his voice vividly when I sing these songs," he said.

Each track is a labor of love. Polston plays each instrument heard in the album. He recorded each part individually, including the background vocals, and painstakingly layered them together.

The album's title, "Travelin' On," is a reference to a hard lesson Polston has learned since Gabriel's death.

"After he passed on Jan. 8, I wanted to give up," he said. "Without my faith in God, I wouldn't have any hope."

Polston decided to use his experience to spread the gospel message. He's looking forward to the day when he can reunite with his son in heaven, Polston said.

"I'm traveling on," he added. "I can't bring him back to me, but I can go to him."

At Friday's concert, Polston will be playing tracks from the album plus some of his own favorites. Admission is free and people may pay what they wish for the CDs.