In Memory of Ethan Collins

We're raising money to help Suzanne and her son Luke Collins get back on their feet after the tragic and sudden loss of Ethan Collins.

We all know Suzanne is a wonderful and patient mother, but it's very difficult to raise a child with Luke's unique needs, especially all alone. Between the day-to-day attention Luke requires and the emotional turmoil of losing the love of your life, Suzanne is under an extreme amount of stress.

Anyone who knew Ethan and the family knows that he and Luke had a relationship that transcended the traditional father-son relationship; Ethan loved Luke more than life itself, and it was evident every moment of every day. Watching them interact through music, video games, or simply hanging out and watching tv was a beautiful thing. They had an intrinsic understanding of each other, which was invaluable.

I am only his niece so I don't know much about who he was as a friend, but as my uncle, he was always a little goofy and loved to share his passions with my brother and I. He was always excited to show us a synthesizer he was making or whatever the latest project was. He was the person who introduced us to making music, and we could never thank him enough for that. He bought us our first guitars, and while I switched to violin (which he always told me was so awesome), my brother became an amazing guitarist/bassist and has a band of his own now. I have so many memories of us that revolved around music, whether it was when he introduced us to Judas Priest or when he would start violently air-drumming on the steering wheel during car rides. I remember when I was young and first found out about White Trash, and I was so amazed that Uncle Ethan was in a band that I told all of my friends about it constantly.

It's been an extemremly difficult year (I know, it's hard to believe it's been a whole year without him), and anything you can give for Suzanne and Luke will be greatly appreciated.