Many of you may know Danny Evans as a family member, a friend, a classmate, or through bands he plays guitar in, like OLTH and Cash Only Tony's. In August of this year, Danny was diagnosed with tongue cancer—a very uncommon occurrence for someone at his age (29) and with his lifestyle. The diagnosis came as a massive shock; as the tumor rapidly grew, so did the oftentimes excruciating pain Danny underwent. The timing was difficult, too—Danny had just returned from a long tour around the US with Cash Only Tony's and Febuary, and was beginning his grad school journey with his first semester studying at NSSR (New School for Social Research). Unfortunately, Danny and his family aren't strangers to cancer coming at inopportune times: his older sister, Hallie, has also been battling a highly rare and aggressive cancer since being diagnosed at age 27.

We may never know why Danny and Hallie both got cancer at such young ages, but one thing is clear—cancer treatment is physically and mentally difficult, and comes with a wide range of financial woes. After finishing a draining 6 weeks of chemotherapy, Danny underwent a major surgical operation (7+ hours under anesthesia) to remove the tumor from his tongue and reconstruct it. This involved using flesh, an artery, and vascular material from his wrist to rebuild the part of his tongue where the tumor was located; in turn, skin from his thigh was taken to cover up that area on his wrist. In addition, many lymph nodes were removed from his neck to help prevent a recurrence. The surgery also resulted in some complications that had Danny back in the operating room not one, but two more times for emergency surgeries on his neck. Danny is now home and relearning how to use his left hand (from where the reconstructive material was taken) with the hope to get back to playing guitar. At the same time, he has been tasked with making a difficult and potentially life-changing decision about where to go next with his treatment.

In the aftermath of his surgery, actions like talking and eating aren't as simple for Danny as they once were. Due to side effects like these and the illness itself, Danny has been unable to continue with school and unable to work, leaving not only the cost of medical care but also daily living expenses up in the air. Asking for handouts is something Danny never intended to do, but today he's calling on his community to support him in any way that they might be able to as he undergoes cancer treatment. Danny is lucky enough to have friends in the hardcore scene putting together a fundraiser show for him, which will happen on November 18th in NYC. If you can't attend the show and wish to chip in, this is a great place to do so. Every dollar goes towards paying off Danny's medical costs and living expenses for the next 6+ months as he slowly but surely aims to return to his life as a musician, grad student, and academic researcher.