Doc Rodgers, the beloved 700WLW radio personality who is battling cancer, will appear as an honored guest and will provide an inspirational message during the UC Brain Tumor Center’s second annual winetasting fundraiser on April 28.

The event will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the CARE/Crawley Building on the UC Academic Health Center Campus at the corner of Eden Ave. & Albert Sabin Way.

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Doc, neither a smoker nor a drinker, had the misfortune to develop non-small-cell lung cancer, which metastasized to his brain. Doc, who was diagnosed in May 2010, has persevered with fortitude throughout his treatment. He continues to host “Extra Innings with Doc Rodgers” on 700WLW, to work as a realtor for Wyoming’s Coldwell Banker West Shell office, and to stay busy as a husband and father. On a recent day he was shuttling one of his children to a basketball practice and the other to a dance class.

Doc’s care has involved chemotherapy and periodic radiation treatments for brain metastases at the Precision Radiotherapy Center in West Chester. His radiation treatments have been directed by John Breneman, MD, a radiation oncologist and Associate Director of the UC Brain Tumor Center.

A metastatic brain tumor is the most common type of adult brain tumor, with 170,000 cases diagnosed in the United States each year. Brain metastasis occurs in 15 to 30 percent of patients with cancer.

Rich Seal, owner of The Wine List and a “Champion” of the UC Brain Tumor Center, is chairing the fundraiser. “We are planning another enjoyable event with lots of great wines to taste and buy and a bigger, better silent auction than last year,” says Rich, a member of the Brain Tumor Center’s Community Advisory Board. “The event will feature tastings of high-quality wines from around the United States and the world as well as a silent auction of excellent, hard-to-find wines.”

The silent auction will feature a variety of unique offerings, including a private in-home wine tasting, a 3-day weekend at a vacation home in Park City, Utah, a carting experience for 4, an introduction to Latin dancing, and several bottles of wine that are not widely available, including a 1998 Chateau Cheval Blanc Red Bordeaux and a 2004 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet.

Savory and healthful hors d’oeuvres will be served by Jeff Thomas Catering, and valet parking will be available. Tickets are $50, with proceeds benefiting research at the UC Brain Tumor Center, a multidisciplinary center dedicated to state-of-the-art clinical care and research excellence within the UC Neuroscience Institute.

Event sponsors are The Wine List, Tramonte & Sons, Vintage Wine Distributors, Inc., 55 Degrees, Glazer’s Distributors, and The Grand Cru Wine Company. The event will feature a silent auction and the opportunity for guests to purchase tasting wines, which can be delivered or picked up at a later date.

For more information about the wine tasting event, please contact Jennifer Dilbert at (513) 558-6903 or jennifer.dilbert@uc.edu.

–Cindy Starr