Dea is so damn special…she had to go get herself a rare cancer!

Okay, to be clear, that intro was misleading: it’s not like she TRIED to get it…

You might know Dea from having been your production coordinator or tour nurse, but either way, she worked tirelessly to make sure you were healthy and got safely from one location to the next. With her attention to detail, she noticed a bump that showed up on her tongue at the end of July. Yeah, weird, right? She thought so, too, and decided to get it checked out.

She was diagnosed with a really rare and aggressive cancer: Mucosal Melanoma. Unlike regular melanoma that is caused by the sun, this is caused from a shut-down of the immune system, which means the body can’t fight the cancer cells off like a healthy system can. Before going into her second tongue surgery to remove more tissue (that also came back malignant), she asked her doctors what they would do in her shoes, and they said they have no data to pull from. Navigating the unknown is scary and expensive. With this type of cancer not only do they have to keep an eye on her tongue, but on any organ or tissue that is considered mucosal.

As many of you know, touring is a type of work that does not have disability or long-term leave as an option. Her work is tour based, so cancer = no tour which = no income. Thankfully she has health insurance in place, but the insurance is both expensive and comes with high deductibles. Some of her treatments are not covered by insurance and she’s depleted her savings covering those medical bills.

Prior to being diagnosed with Mucosal Melanoma, Dea had spent time focusing on her mental and physical wellness for compounded PTSD. Getting cancer on top of that was NOT in the plan. Having a rare cancer was REALLY not in the plan.

It took her friends and I awhile to convince Dea that it was okay to reach out for help. In true roadie fashion, she’d rather solve a problem herself, than to ask for help, however this problem can no longer be solved by her alone. I’ve seen the roadie community rally around others when they need it. Today I’m asking you to rally for Dea, because she needs us.

The Roadie Clinic has helped to get as much support out of the industry they can find. They are thankful for the heroes at Music Health Alliance that have helped Dea get the best health insurance for this journey, as well as source grants to help with medical expenses. MusiCares and Sweet Relief are also on our appreciation list, but her care team also knows the limits of the music industry. This is why she needs us.

The breakdown: aka “Why we are asking for help to save Dea?”:

Due to the nature of her specific type of cancer, she is looking at a year of ongoing treatment to build her immune system back and ensure the cancer doesn’t spread. With two tongue surgeries under her belt, she’s also looking at the possibility of a third, adding to the high cost of care. She is facing all of this after what she describes as one of the hardest years of her life.

She returned home at the start of this year focused on recovering from a series of traumas that had left her feeling greatly compromised. The loss of a crew member on the tour she was working on in South America was devastating to her, made more so because of her role in trying to save him after the accident. To get a cancer diagnosis while also navigating compounded PTSD is understandably surreal and overwhelming for her.

Due to her recovery timeline and ongoing treatments in Nashville, she will be unable to go back on the road until next summer (at the earliest). At this time, her sole focus is on her path to physical and mental well-being - her life literally depends on it.

So here we are, some of her roadie BFFs, asking you to help us help Dea.

Every dollar will go to medical expenses, rent, gas to get to appointments, and food to carry her through this coming season. Our goal is to minimize as much financial stress as we can so that her immune system can do its job and get her back to doing what she loves (and being around the road families she loves).

We appreciate you taking the time to read this and for any help you're able to offer.