Our dear friend Rob Smith had emergency abdominal surgery on July 18 and was hospitalized for 12 days. We are raising funds for Rob's medical expenses that insurance hasn’t covered and flight costs so he can be reunited with his partner and child in Australia where he was in the process of relocating before this unexpected medical situation occurred.

Rob was diagnosed last month with perforated diverticulitis after experiencing sharp pain in his abdomen while playing a show at Mama Tried (he finished the gig, amazingly). He checked into the hospital Saturday, July 11, where they monitored him for the next three days.

His doctors initially tried to manage the condition with antibiotics and pain management, but early in the morning on July 18, he experienced a catastrophic rupture in his large and small intestine. He was re-admitted to NYU Langone in Sunset Park and underwent emergency major abdominal surgery in which sections of his small and large intestine were removed. The surgery involved making a 7-inch incision through his abdominal wall. Post-surgery, he was not able to eat or drink for over a week while his digestive system recovered from this very significant intervention. He's been poked full of holes and had tubes run down his throat for days at a time. He was finally released on Thursday, July 30, after an arduous 12-day hospital stay.

In other words, the guy has been through the wringer and endured it all with a kind of patience and grace that I think very few people could bring to bear.

This all comes at the worst possible time for him, as he is in the final stages of a permanent move to Australia, where his partner, Anna Kristensen, hails from. She and their daughter Aggie(4 years old) had made the trip down-under in early June. Rob stayed stateside to wind things down at work, train his replacement, close up the apartment, and sell their car. He was staying with me and planning to take a final leisurely week to connect with his friends and music community when this thing knocked him sideways.

Rob was, as usual, shouldering many responsibilities, dealing with logistics and details of this major life transition with care and attention, and doing everything right; nevertheless, he's found himself relying on his network of friends to house him and care for him in this time where he is still very weak, vulnerable, and dealing with significant pain and discomfort, not to mention processing the trauma of this whole ordeal.

While Rob is “out of the woods” for the moment, there are still a lot of unknowns and more expensive procedures looming in the near future. A few months from now, once Rob’s gut has healed from this recent operation, he will need a stoma reversal: another surgery to reattach his intestine and remove the stoma for the ostomy bag. In order for this not to complicate the visa process they will need to go completely out of pocket.

As you might imagine, we want to see Rob reunited with his family in Australia as soon as possible, though the doctors say it will be at least another month before he is able to fly. Part of the funds raised here will be used to secure a seat on the plane that allows him to fully recline to relieve pressure on the wound. This is the only way he could manage the 24-hour flight in his condition.

Anyone that knows Rob will tell you that he is an incredibly generous, curious, hard-working, and loving person. As a musical collaborator, there's no one more supportive and nurturing of the creative spirit. Making music with Rob these last few years has been a life gift. Let's give Rob the gift of helping him over this hurdle and back to his life and family. Thank you for your generosity.

Peter(with Rob’s friends and family)