Love for Connie!

Hello,

My name is Michael Jerome Moore, drummer with Better Than Ezra and Richard Thompson. I've had the great privilege of traveling around the globe, sharing rhythms and music, and most of all, visiting wonderful human beings.

Today, one of those wonderful human beings, my friend, Connie Rogers, is sick and needs my help. So, I am encouraged to do just that, help. 

I am sharing this in hopes of raising awareness and generating funds to help ease the exorbitant expenses she and her family are currently facing while battling a rare and aggressive cancer. I am asking for your financial support, your prayers, your positive healing energy, and words of encouragement that I can share with her. We all know how invaluable this can be to keep spirits and immunity high each and every day. I thank you all so very much. Love and Peace

In 2015, my wife and I were given the opportunity to visit Cuba with Nancy Covey's Festival Tours. It was an amazing experience, exposing us to incredible music, delicious foods, superbly talented, and most beautiful people in the world. Our touring group was the best and we quickly established bonds and lasting relationships as we traveled across the island. One of those wonderful human beings from our tour is Connie Rogers. Beautiful, adventurous, kind and curious are just a few of the words that come to mind to describe her. Connie is a giver, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and a loving soul. Our chats have been few and far between in recent years but she has never shied away from a good conversation or philosophical "deep dive" into the abyss with me in order to "fix" our world. 

She's just cool like that. ;)

A message from Connie: 

My name is Connie Rogers and I've been battling liposarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer, for two years. Initially, after 25 radiation treatments, I had a 6 pound tumor removed from resting on my pelvis and sciatic nerve. In just over a year it had metastasized to my lung. A few days after last Christmas, another tumor and the top part of my left lung were removed. My surgeries and medical care were at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. This spring, just two months later, multiple tumors appeared in the same lung and the suggested treatment seemed futile. I was not given much hope. When you have cancer, your number one currency is hope and to have that discouraged is devastating. Because sarcomas are so rare (just 1 percent of all cancers), and so little is known about them it is not easy to find a suitable treatment center. Our daughter-in-law found the Sarcoma Oncology Center in Santa Monica, CA, and I have been receiving treatment there since April. I have had 10 rounds of radiation and 3 rounds of chemo so far. The good news is that thus far the tumors are stabilized, with no new growth and no new tumors. This clinic is top notch, encouraging and offers support and hope. I have personally met some of the miracle stories. The one that resonates most with me is a woman who has lived with stage 4 metastatic lung cancer for 20 years. I hope to be one of the miracle stories, to be able to offer support and encouragement to others that suffer from this dreadful type of cancer, . I am also realistic and know this may not be the case for me, but I remain optimistic, hopeful and positive. I want to be able to buy more time to spend with my husband of more than 40 years, my wonderful son and daughter-in-law and our two beautiful grandsons, both under 3. I want them to be able to have memories of their Gram. This has totally changed our lives,from being the busy, active, energetic people we once were. It seems like just yesterday I was working full time as an antiques dealer and estate liquidator, now due to my impaired mobility and very little stamina, I cannot. We live in a small town in Washington State (Walla Walla). After "just" these 3 months this is financially crushing to us and we know we can't continue to meet this financial burden. It costs $3000 to $4000 per month in just airfare and basic hotel lodging for us to fly to, and stay in, California. I have wanted to avoid going public and asking for assistance but.... I am humbled and forever grateful to you all.