Recovery Fund for Orchestra Dir. Ryan Featherer

Ryan Edric Featherer is a beloved music teacher at Maury High School in Norfolk, Virginia suffering from the debilitating pain of MS. The money we raise will help him afford a spinal cord stimulator that relieves the pain by 80%, allowing him to keep teaching.

 

Mr. Featherer was part of a clinical trial by Medtronic for the spinal stimulator that proved beyond any doubt that your device cut his unbearable pain by 80-percent. It gave him back his life and brought him back to the classroom with the passion he thought he would never have again.

 

Sadly, Anthem insurance didn't deem the device to be "medically necessary" and so he reverted to a state of constant agony.

His students mounted a campaign to get Anthem to review the case and he was declined.

Thanks to media coverage and celebrity assistance the insurance company agreed to cover part of the surgery that is slated for July 27, 2022, but the out-of-pocket costs are big. If he suffers any kind of complication the bills will skyrocket as they have during his previous procedures. He has had COVID-19 three times and is very vulnerable to infection and complications.

One of my sons is a graduate student and First Chair Cellist in the Old Dominion University symphony and obtained multiple scholarships thanks to thanks to this teacher.

This man is beloved by musicians across our nation who were nurtured by him.

Please donate and share this fundraiser with musicians far and wide.

Please help restore the quality of life, energy, and hope this device and procedure can bring back to this incredible, iconic, educator and show the world that the perception of "medically necessary" should be redefined.

 

His work and influence have resulted in the unique opportunity to have student ensembles perform in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Hawaii, Seattle, Anchorage l, Vancouver, Toronto, New York, Baltimore, Orlando, Miami, and other both in the US and Europe.

 

He guest conducted ensembles (large and small) throughout the country including those in Tennessee, Arizona, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, and Virginia.