The Money
The taxi cab's health insurance
company has repeatedly denied claims from multiple medical providers,
and I have almost $70,000 of medical bills that I am responsible for.
I'm asking for YOUR help to get me part of the way there. I'm asking
for $17,000.
The MUSIC
I'm
using this as an opportunity to make Art (yes, i used a Capital "A"
...). There are two album projects that are resulting from your gifts
in this fundraising campaign.
1) The "Tooth"
album (title TBD): I'm currently recording all of the good songs I
wrote since the accident. The whole point is to record these songs
BEFORE I get my teeth back, forming a creative "yearbook", of sorts,
capturing this unique time in my life. Songs include "I'm Standing",
"Concert Teeth", "Parking Lot Song", "Can't Go Home", and "Learning to
Walk".
2) the "Disaster" album (title TBD):
I've written a number of songs inspired by this accident, and the
resulting experiences (see titles above ..), and they tend to shed a
positive light on the situation. Now that I'm close to full recovery, I
want to expand my bubble and create some music inspired by YOUR
disaster story, or other transformational journey!
The Story
On Saturday, April 4, 2009, at 10:45 pm, I was hit by a NYC taxi while attempting to cross West End Ave at W 85th Street. The main injuries included a broken jaw, broken rib, I lost 9 teeth, as well as the bone they were supposed to be in. All in all, it was the luckiest night of my life.
Although I have vague memory flashes of lying on the street, I didn't fully regain consciousness until they were in the middle of surgery. I woke up in time to experience them pulling out a few last damaged teeth that they said were "hanging on by a thread" .... I overheard my doctor saying this was the worst oral injury he had ever seen, at which point I asked him if I would ever sing again (I don't know why this was the question i NEEDED to ask ...!), and the doctor said "I don't know."
My girlfriend at the time arrived at the hospital and was able to call my family, although she declined my request to take a picture of me in that initial state. After the multi-hour surgery, I was rolled to a semi-private room. During this journey through the hallways, I saw multiple people pass and look down at me, only to immediately look away in horror. When I got to my room, my girlfriend also declined my request for a mirror, thinking that it was best that I didn't see what I looked like. All I knew about the extent of the damage was that it felt like my face had been ripped in half, and the reactions I was getting from other people were NOT comforting ...
I went to sleep that night with a feeling that is difficult to describe with words. The worst thing that could possibly happen, just DID. And I was still alive. And "it" was ok. I mentally gave up on many aspirations and dreams that night as I layed in the hospital bed, but I have never felt more content, and at peace, in my entire life.
It wasn't until the end of the next day I was able to see a mirror, at which point I instantly realized, "well THIS isn't so bad!!". And that was when "real" life started to creep back in. I found myself thinking about the "future" again, and about all the things I "needed" to do. But I'm still thankful for the 12 most peaceful hours I've ever had, before I looked in that mirror, when there was nothing left to do but breathe. And since I looked in that mirror, everything else I've been through, like the recurring setbacks with the doctors and the insurance companies, has seemed like good news.
