Music for Donnie’s Mind: Therapy for Lewy Body Dementia

Hi, Logan and Casey here, and we’re creating this fundraiser on behalf of our Dad, Donnie Cox.

About two years ago, we received a heartbreaking diagnosis: Lewy Body Dementia (LBD). It’s a progressive, challenging disease that affects not just memory, but also movement, sleep, behavior, and cognition. Watching our dad — someone who has always been so smart, creative, and independent — navigate this confusing and often frightening reality has been incredibly difficult. And lately he has been having an increasingly difficult time with extreme agitation, aggression, and depression.

As some of you reading this may already know, he was a very talented musician and one of the few things that still lights a spark in him is music. Whether it’s listening to his old records or hearing songs he used to play with his bands, music seems to reach him in ways that nothing else can. After researching therapeutic options, and speaking with healthcare professionals, we learned that music therapy can be incredibly beneficial for people with LBD. It can help:

    •    Reduce anxiety, agitation, and confusion

    •    Stimulate memory and recognition

    •    Improve mood and quality of life

    •    Encourage gentle movement and social connection

    •    Create moments of peace, joy, and clarity

We want to give our dad the gift of music therapy sessions that will be specifically designed for him and his needs by a board certified music therapist. Unfortunately, much to our disappointment we’ve discovered that this kind of specialized therapy is not covered by his VA insurance, or Medicare and the out of pocket cost is rather expensive.

Therefore, we are hoping to raise $1,500 to help cover the cost of the recommended minimum 6 months of weekly treatment to give us the best chance at improving and stabilizing his mood.

This disease has taken so much from him and from us as his daughters. We are doing our best to maintain his health and his quality of life. Every dollar donated will go directly toward his therapy. And while it will not cure his LBD, we hope it can bring him some joy and peace and perhaps help him reconnect to a big piece of who he is.

If you’re able to donate, share, or even just send a kind message, we would be so grateful.

With heartfelt thanks,

Logan and Casey

#MusicHeals #SupportLBD