From September to November, my father was hospitalized on an emergency basis on three separate occasions. It’s put his life as drummer Russ T Blades (a stage name given by his late friend and band mate in the 1980s) since the age of 12, which is his life and soul, on hold. He needs to resume that life.

As Louis Armstrong once said:

“Musicians don't retire; they stop when there's no more music in them.”

My dad still has a lot of music left in him.

• The first admission was due to Sepsis, followed by nearly a month at home with a PICC Line inserted into his arm, attached to an IV bag which ran through a pump that dispensed strong antibiotics every 6 hours. I changed each IV as needed.
• The second admission was based on an allergic reaction to the heavy antibiotics needed to kill the Sepsis, including an inflamed appendix and nodule on his lung.
• Very unfortunately the third was a heart attack on Halloween and a Triple Bypass 3 days later. So far it’s been the longest, most painful and expensive visit due to the operation and everything to follow.

The emotional and financial stress has been severe and the healing process isn’t near finished. My dad still has a long road to heal so that he may resume his life as a musician. The money is needed for hospital bills, doctor copays, medications, upcoming Cardiac and Physical Rehabilitation, plus medical transportation and food for a strict and healthy diet and missed wages from the inability to perform gigs. As his daughter, I’ve had to put my own health needs on hold, am unable to work and helping my dad every step of the way. It’s a long, slow and expensive road during which he cannot skip a single step, no matter the cost.

To get Russell back on his feet and to ease the aforementioned financial and emotional stress, every penny counts toward the unaffordable hundreds of thousands of dollars.