According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 12 million Americans were diagnosed with cancer in 2007, the latest year for which cancer statistics have been calculated.

With cancer so prevalent in the United States, it is hard to find anyone who does not know someone affected by the disease. Shannon Trumbull is no exception.

“It was personal to me,” said Trumbull, a senior majoring in interior design. “Actually, I thought about it over the summer. I wanted to do a benefit because both my grandmother and my aunt have passed away from cancer.”

So Trumbull and her friend Kristina Patrick organized the F*ck Cancer Benefit Concert to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. The concert will be Thursday at 9 p.m. at Mellow Mushroom and will feature singer-songwriter Jake Waddell and local rock bands The Cancers and Baak Gwai.

Money made from the $5 cover charge, $1 raffle tickets and T-shirt sale will be donated to the cause. Also, those who purchase a raffle ticket will have a chance to win prizes from businesses like Surin of Thailand, The Bear Trap, The Locker Room and many more.

“We just went around to local businesses and asked if they wanted to be a sponsor and donate anything, any form of merchandise or gift cards,” Trumbull said. “We got a lot of positive responses.”

Shane Lollar is the booking agent for the Mellow Mushroom and helped choose the artists who will perform.

“[Jake Waddell] is a good singer-songwriter,” Lollar said. “I dug his music a lot. We’re probably going to let him start the evening. [The Cancers] are probably going to be playing mostly their original stuff. It’s real garage rock.”

Lollar said The Cancers’ music complements Baak Gwai’s well, so the night will be a mix of two different but equally entertaining musical styles.

“Baak Gwai is kind of pop-punk, but in a cool way,” he said. “Their songs are structured and they’re really tight, but at the same time, they have some aggressive guitars.”

Lollar picked The Cancers to perform because they have experience playing with headliner Baak Gwai, whether in Tuscaloosa, out of town or out of state.

“The Cancers have a little more of a raw edge than Baak Gwai,” he said. “It’s a little more unpolished, but at the same time, it’s dance floor. It’s upbeat. It keeps people involved.”

Baak Gwai bassist Adam Pate said he has not been personally affected by cancer, but he still feels that the fight against cancer is deserving of a benefit concert.

“It’s just a good cause…” he said. “It’s really just anything we can do to help.”

The show will start at 9 p.m. at the Mellow Mushroom on University Boulevard in downtown Tuscaloosa.

Trumbull held nothing back when she explained why people should come to the F*ck Cancer Benefit.

“Come and say ‘f-ck you’ to cancer, because it really f-cking sucks,” she said. “A lot of people are affected by it every single day. Practically everybody I’ve talked to either has somebody that they know who has cancer, or has known somebody who’s died from cancer. They should come out and support the cause.”

If You Go

What: F*ck Cancer Benefit Concert

When: Tonight at 9

Where: Mellow Mushroom