Support for David Bakamjian and Ronda Brands

Our dear friend and colleague, cellist David Bakamjian, has been diagnosed with a rapidly progressive degenerative disease, FTD--frontotemporal dementia. He began showing signs at last summer's Play Week Maryland workshop, and the disease has in fact progressed rapidly. What this means for David is that he experiences significant cognitive, memory, and "executive functioning" problems, and his ability to do everyday activities is increasingly impaired. David’s last public concert was a beautiful, moving performance with the American Classical Orchestra last November at Alice Tully Hall. He continues to play at home with his wife, Ronda, and with friends/colleagues in home gatherings as he is able.

This illness is heartbreaking, and the speed at which it is progressing is challenging. Those who suffer from FTD ultimately require a very high level of care -- more care than a single person can give, even when that person is as loving and devoted as Ronda, his wife. A part-time at-home aide is now needed, and this care will increase steadily to round-the-clock advanced nursing care. While health insurance covers most of the costs of standard medical care, it covers none of these additional care requirements. Ronda and David have retirement savings but have lost most of their annual income, which we hope partly to replace with this campaign.

Those of you who know David are already aware of his kindness and generosity to others – as a teacher and coach, a member of the Armenian-American community, a performing artist musician, a colleague, and a friend. If you don't know him, you may have been the recipient of his generosity without knowing it. He's not the sort of person who makes a big deal of his philanthropic endeavors. Now it's time to pay back the kindness which has flowed so freely from him. Please donate as generously as you are able and share this GoFundMe. No gift is too small.

Thank you for your kind donations, and for sharing this page.