Help Malik Get Back 'on the Road' to Recovery

Hello All

My name is Michael C. Mayne, and on May 3rd of 2025 my oldest son was involved in a car crash that left his car totaled, and him with serious injuries. He broke the Proximal Phalanx of his right great toe, suffered a large hematoma on his right thigh, sprained his left hand and wrist, and – most critically – fractured the C5 and C6 vertebrae of his neck. After 2 days in the hospital, Malik was discharged with a boot for his foot and a cervical collar for his neck – both of which he is to wear for the next several weeks. I and my son are extremely grateful to the ER and hospital staff for their life-saving care. While he was thankfully able to return to work immediately despite his injuries, he can no longer transport himself as he no longer has a car. This has made it much harder for him to accept gig opportunities that he could use to support himself.

My son Malik is a musician by trade. 2025 makes 22 years now that he has been playing the piano and blessing people with his music. Since graduating with his degree in Piano Performance from Oakwood University, he has been blessed to make his living doing what he loves, and I am beyond grateful that this accident has not robbed him of that – he has expressed that same sentiment to me. That being said, he is often expected to transport a full complement of gear along with himself, including but not limited to: 1 or 2 full-sized keyboards, stand, chair, and a speaker, so rideshare services are prohibitively expensive and definitely unsustainable. The car he lost was a 22-year-old CRV and was perfect for his purposes. Enough space to carry all of his gear, while still being compact enough to fit in the parking spaces of LA. Relatively good gas mileage, and easy maintenance along with the aforementioned virtues of size made this car exceptionally well-suited to his needs as a gigging musician with sometimes-sporadic income. Replacing that vehicle with one of like-kind will cost a little over $10,000 which we would not be able to do, even without his current physical difficulties and newly-accrued debts.

It has come to my attention that some in my community have asked how they can help Malik, and it warms me greatly to learn of this. In the past, Malik might have considered himself a proud man, but he recently said to me “Much as I might like to hoard it – I simply cannot spend pride so yes, I would like some help.” Honoring this, as well as the requests I have already received from some very good friends, I humbly ask for $10,000 so he can get a new compact SUV, and get back to working at full capacity so that he can work down his debts and get on with his life. We are still trying to work out his hospital bill which itself seems unsurmountable, but currently shows signs of hope. So, any little bit helps. The love and support we have already received during this time is what has kept him going strong. Thank you for reading, and thank you for your donations.