Oncologist Jose Tongol shares passion through music

PLAINS — Albany oncologist Dr. Jose Tongol has an infectiously positive attitude and energy that endears him to the many cancer patients he treats on a daily basis.

The passion he brings to his profession is a standard by which others are measured.

But the native of the Philippines, who came to Albany to “stay for three years but is now at 22 and counting,” has too much energy to limit his activities to his professional career, even in a calling that demands so much of his time. When he saw an Albany Area Chamber of Commerce official wearing a marathon T-shirt, it inspired him to work with others to create the Snickers Marathon, one of the city’s and the state’s premier events.

And on most Friday nights, Tongol can be found at Albany’s Casa Tapatia restaurant engaged in another of his passions: music.

Saturday, Tongol will combine his musical passion with the love affair he has with his adopted hometown when he and his band, the YoYos, perform at a fundrasier for victims of the Jan. 2 and Jan. 22 storms that devastated a large portion of Southwest Georgia. Suggested by cancer survivor Bonnie Davis, the spaghetti dinner/musical event will be held 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at the Plains Community Center.

“Bonnie came to me and said, ‘Why don’t we do something for the storm victims?’” Tongol said during a rare break in his daily schedule at the Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital Cancer Center. “I love this community, so I said why not? I play three or four times a year in Plains, and we always have a good time there. So we put together a plan to have a spaghetti dinner/musical event to raise money for Mission:Change.

“(Fellow musician) Jimmy Melvin had a goal to make Plains the musical capital of the region, and he passed that on to me. Now I’m passing it on to Braxton Jones. I love playing in Plains. Sometimes we’ll see President Carter slip in when we’re playing there. That’s always cool.”

During his and the YoYos’ performance, Tongol, who during a typical set will cover everyone from Michael Jackson to the Police to John Mellencamp to just about anyone else who’s ever had a Top 40 hit, will no doubt unveil the songs “We Are Albanians” and “Please Shine.” He wrote both in response to the storms.

“Song lyrics are very personal to me,” the oncologist/musician said. “I’ve written more than 300 over the years, 40 or so alone for my wife when she was getting treatment for breast cancer. These songs, the lyrics, are my way of expressing my feelings about things that matter to me.

“I’ll get an idea and sometimes write the lyrics in just a few minutes. It happens when something like this disaster touches me.”

Sample lyrics from his songs, reprinted by permission, include: “I’ve never regretted my decision to stay, An immigrant trying to make a difference. Life is a dream, I’m really meant to be here, Be an Albanian.” from “We Are Albanians,” and “We are here to stand together. We are here to help one another. They will never destroy us. We are strong and unbreakable. We will shine.” from “Please Shine.”

Tickets for Saturday’s fundraiser are $12 per plate, and all money raised will go to Mission:Change for storm relief.