Honoring Aliya Rosegreen

On April 26th my dear friend Aliya Rosegreen suffered an aortic dissection. She had just turned 45 on April 2nd. While she was in the hospital, planning for a surgery to repair it, another, more damaging, tear occurred and emergency surgery was needed. Aliya was in the hospital for over two weeks, spending time in the cardiac ICU, having many tests and a major surgery, all with no insurance. There were so many prayers, so much healing energy, and we all were hoping for the best, planning the recovery with her, and I know she was fighting with everything she had, but it was just too much. On May 13th, 2022, this world lost a special kind of sparkle. An unexpected loss is hard enough, impossible to really imagine if it isn't happening to you. Please know that this collection is to help her family pay for end-of-life costs associated with this devastating loss, and any additional funds raised will be passed forward with love to charities and scholarships in her name. Leave words of remembrance and support, and please check back for updates on the gatherings we will continue to have.

Even if you didn't know Aliya you may have met her before. Have you been to a live music show in Austin, Texas? Was there a tall beautiful Princess passing a tip jar for the band, wearing a tiara, who offered you a star when you put your money in? Well, that was the incredible Aliya Rosegreen. Long-time friends have these little star stickers scattered across our lives. One on the front door, another on the bedside table and then massive constellations on dashboards and mirrors! She was the Enthusiasm Coordinator for quite a few bands, bringing the bling, dancing like no one was watching and making sure everyone knew it was time to have some fun, all for the love of live music. Being South Austin "Royalty" didn't come with an allowance. She worked as a long and short-term nanny for most of her life, which takes an exceptional kind of person. She was a caregiver, a teacher, a playmate and a million other things. The parents she worked for depended on her a great deal and trusted her with their most precious gifts of life. She was honored to see some of these little peoples' first steps and hear some of their first words, a rare magic that she cherished. Her own family was the most important thing to her, especially her mom, dad, brother, sister and paw paw. They were part of her daily life and first in her thoughts always. She visited her 102 year young Paw Paw regularly, posting his funny jokes and incredible stories that have been a gift to all of us. She was an accomplished actress taking on impressive projects like the one-woman stage show "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe." Last summer, she performed as two different characters in the same production of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." She had a talent for accents, a versatile voice that made for the best storytelling and a captivating singing voice. She loved to play games, especially ones that would make you laugh. She was into Dr. Who, Star Trek, henna, and so many other things that were the connections she shared with the many different people in her life. In everything Aliya did she was generous, kind, smart and funny in an absolutely dazzling way, drawing attention and giving off light, like a star. May her star shine guide us to the music that heals us all, forevermore.

In the video here Aliya says "Live music means more to me than I can actually say..." We all know it's incredibly hard to find the right words to say how much you care about someone or something that changes your life in a special way, knowing any words you might find won't be enough. I feel that way about Aliya. I can not say... I know many who loved her feel that loss for words right now, even though we are trying. Like Aliya, I've passed a few tip jars for the band, but this one is for her family. Every single dollar and any way you can share this story and promote this effort is deeply appreciated by her family and friends. So, ladies and gentlemen, please be generous and show your love for our South Austin Star Fairy Princess and her sweet family who need our support right now.