Help Mi Ran Choi Support Their Mom Through Cancer Treatment

Trying to raise seven months' worth of expenses together for my brilliant friend and local musician, Mi Ran Choi (they/she)!

A month ago, Mi Ran found out their mom had Stage 3 breast cancer. Their mom lives alone in Los Angeles, so Mi Ran went on extended unpaid leave at their job to fly out and support her. They're anticipating having to stay out in LA and focus most of their time on supporting their mom through her chemo treatments and surgery for at least seven months. In the meantime, neither of them has any income coming in. While Mi Ran is trying their best to pursue other avenues to get income, like finding a remote job and getting registered as a caregiver in CA, they could really use the help from their community to get to a stable position.

This isn't just about giving to someone in need, though. This is about coming alongside a stalwart member of our community who has given hours of their time to support others and make music more accessible for everyone. Let's help them take care of their mom and get back on their feet so they can come back and continue to host epic living room concerts, provide excellent coffee advice & recommendations, and expand music education across the Chicagoland area!!!

Here's a little more about Mi Ran and their work in the community:

Mi Ran has been a consistent support not only in my life and the lives of their friends and family but also in the musical community of Chicago. During their time majoring in cello at North Park University, Mi Ran not only served in several ensembles but pursued pathways to give back to their local and global communities. Their dedication to service during their studies was recognized by a Service Award from the School of Music in 2020.

After graduating from North Park, they went on to get a Master of Arts in Applied String Pedagogy at Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) and continued to play in several ensembles across the city.

While they are currently on leave, Mi Ran maintains a teaching studio with the Chicago West Community Music Center’s Westside Instructional Strings and Harp (WISH) Program and serves as senior cello faculty at NEIU’s Community Music Program. They additionally serve as a board member of Crossing Borders Music and serve the Human Values Collective as a leadership team member and webmaster.

In their free time, they enjoy biking through Chicago and trying new coffee blends.

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So, all this to say, they're a pretty amazing human. If you have a couple of bucks to throw their way, that would be awesome. If not, you can help out by sharing this widely and encouraging your friends and family to give! I'll do my best to continue providing updates on here and on social media.

Much love,

Mads Oliver

Mi Ran's Certified Bestie™ and coffee apprentice-in-training