Nile Rodgers & Chic will headline the 20th annual gala for DKMS, a top non-profit organization fighting blood cancer and blood disorders. The black-tie event at will take place at Cipriani Wall Street in New York on Thursday, October 15th. The evening’s programming includes a live concert from Rodgers — a cancer survivor as well as a multiple Grammy-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee — and Chic, as well as a performance by Joseph Gordon: principal dancer at New York City Ballet.
This year’s gala will highlight the uplifting journey of Ezra, an 11-year-old from California who received a life-saving stem cell transplant, and his donor, Dallas Wilson, a Nashville-based country and pop songwriter-producer who registered as a potential stem cell donor over 15 years ago while attending college.
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Although Ezra was diagnosed as an infant with Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), his childhood remained relatively normal until he began experiencing persistent health challenges and illnesses in the fall of 2024. A specialist consultation in December 2024 revealed that Ezra had been diagnosed with Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML), a rare and aggressive form of leukemia. Three weeks before his wedding, Dallas received an urgent message from DKMS informing him that he was a match for a patient in need. He immediately committed to donating and was even willing to postpone his honeymoon to ensure the lifesaving donation could take place. Ezra received his transplant from Dallas in May 2025.
Proceeds from the evening will directly support DKMS’s mission of saving lives by registering stem cell donors, providing patients in low and middle-income countries with access to transplantation, and advancing research and development in blood cancer treatment. For ticket information, please visit www.DKMS.org/gala.
“Twenty years ago, we came together in New York with a powerful belief: that every patient battling blood cancer deserves the chance to find a matching donor,” says Katharina Harf, Chairman of DKMS Global. “As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the DKMS Gala, I am deeply grateful to the extraordinary community of donors, patients, families, and supporters whose compassion has made so many second chances at life possible. Tonight reminds us not only of how far we have come, but of all we can still achieve together.”
Rodgers said, “I’m so honored to be part of this momentous anniversary for such an essential, lifesaving organization. For decades, DKMS has transformed lives and given hope. We look forward to celebrating the donors, patients, and supporters whose generosity and commitment make this vital work possible.”
Previous gala honorees have included designer Vera Wang and Republic Records co-founder-CEO Monte Lipman. Past performers have ranged from Ariana Grande and Rihanna to Jon Bon Jovi and Boy George.
Dr. Peter Harf founded DKMS 35 years ago in honor of his wife who lost her battle to leukemia and it has since evolved into an international organization registering over 13.5 million donors across seven countries. Leading beauty company Coty has long supported the organization.
Gala leadership include Event chairs Dr. Peter Harf, Katharina Harf and Viktoria von Wulffen.
