<div>This page is to benefit a dear friend and pillar to the South Florida LGBTQ+ community, <strong>Gabe Salazar</strong>.
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<div>Gabe is the Artistic Director of the Gay Men's Chorus of South Florida as well as the music director for Sunshine Cathedral. His work has touched
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<div>thousands of people across the county as he leads with compassion, grace, and musical excellence. His story inspires—coming out later in life and overcoming many challenges including homophobia, bullying, as well as clinical obesity. Gabe transformed his mind, body, and spirit, becoming a proud and healthy gay man who works selflessly for our community.
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<div>Gabe has always dealt with neck and back issues since childhood, and after years of carrying extra weight (at one point he reached 598 lbs), his spine has seen some wear and tear. Lately, he lost a lot of strength in his left arm—sometimes it tingles, hurts sharply, or goes numb. His MRI showed severe stenosis throughout his spine and several bone spurs pressing on nerves.
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<div>After months of MRIs, injections, specialists, and doing everything humanly possible to avoid surgery, the conclusion is very clear: <strong>Gabe needs cervical spinal fusion surgery at C5–C7.</strong> The discs between those vertebrae have degenerated to the point that there is significant compression on the nerves coming out of his spine. On top of that, there are three large bone spurs in that same area, which are further crowding the space and adding to the nerve compression. This combination has caused Gabe constant pain, electric-shock sensations, and numbness and tingling down his left arm—and more concerning, it has already begun to cause weakness and muscle atrophy. In other words, the nerves are being squeezed enough that the muscles they control aren’t getting proper signals, which means continuing to “push through” could lead to permanent loss of strength or function. <strong>At this point, surgery isn’t about comfort—it’s about preventing long-term damage. This isn’t optional; it’s necessary.</strong>
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<div>Gabe's out-of-pocket expenses are already exceeding $4,000, and this is just for the surgery. He has numerous tests and medications he also has to pay for that are not fully covered by his insurance. Additionally, the local music gig work outside of Gabe's jobs with GMCSF and Sunshine Cathedral will not be available to Gabe as he recovers from surgery, thus impacting his income for the next few months.
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<div>I kindly ask for your generosity to help raise the money for Gabe so he can go through this surgery having peace of mind that his medical bills will be covered and he can recover peacefully and without concern. Gabe is an incredibly talented conductor and singer whose passion for music allows us to connect to each other and spread love throughout the world. He is also the future for the gay chorale movement - his talents have been recognized by GALA (the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses) and he currently serves as their Artistic Advisor in Residence.
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<div>During these times where darkness is all over, Gabe brings light. He's also a good friend. Kind, compassionate, and thoughtful—Gabe shows up for his loved ones. His generous spirit knows no bounds and he lifts those around him up selflessly. Let us now lift this young artist in his time of need and show up for him.
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<div>Your generosity is deeply appreciated. Thank you~
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tracy diestel

Anonymous

Gerald Garcia

David R Littlefield

Wayne Davis

Mark B Kent

David Hopper

Susan Peterson

Robert Billington

John Jackson

Charles Robinson

Jeremy Ballack

Standing with Gabe: Surgery for a Community Pillar

Standing with Gabe: Surgery for a Community Pillar

Still $1,195 to go. Help us build momentum.