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Help Me Record My Story In Song Back Home!

Returning To My Roots With An Album About Survival, Hope and Love!

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Help Me Record My Story In Song Back Home!

Help Me Record My Story In Song Back Home!

Help Me Record My Story In Song Back Home!

Help Me Record My Story In Song Back Home!

Help Me Record My Story In Song Back Home!

Returning To My Roots With An Album About Survival, Hope and Love!

Returning To My Roots With An Album About Survival, Hope and Love!

Returning To My Roots With An Album About Survival, Hope and Love!

Returning To My Roots With An Album About Survival, Hope and Love!

Jo-Anne Carlson
Jo-Anne Carlson
Jo-Anne Carlson
Jo-Anne Carlson
1 Campaign |
Atlanta, United States
$2,145 USD 16 backers
8% of $25,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

Hi! Thanks for checking out my Indiegogo page.

Who am I? I am an artist. I am a musician. I am a cancer survivor…

AND IT HASN’T BEATEN ME (YET)!!


I wish to create a beautiful expression of my tumultuous journey back to wellness in song. I learned a lot about love and relationships, as well as the pain of loss and the strength of the spirit. By funding my Indiegogo campaign, you’ll be giving me the tools to record in words and music the pains and triumphs of my sojourn with cancer, and helping me return to my roots on the island where I was born—Jamaica. Help me realize this goal so that what I learned can speak to others, too. I need your support to raise $25,000 for this project!

Backstory

I was diagnosed with cancer of the thyroid back in December 2012. That single event changed my world forever.  I had surgery to remove my thyroid a month later, but due to surgical error from that procedure, I was left with a rare and permanent disorder called postsurgical hypoparathyroidism. There is hormone therapy for people without a thyroid gland. Only recently have there been any meaningful steps to develop hormone therapy for hypoparathyroidism. I now take literally handfuls of pills daily. (I say this only as a point of information. What’s done is done. Life is too short to dwell on the past.)

Watch the video below to learn more about this medical condition:


Worst of all for me was the fact that my vocal cords were irrevocably damaged. For a year, I was reduced to speaking in hoarse, breathy whispers and double-tones from a condition called vocal paresia.That year felt like forever, not knowing if I would even speak normally again, let alone sing. The doctors held out little hope of my being able to even speak at anything other than a whisper for the rest of my life. I was devastated.

Click the link below to hear what I sounded like (singing) before the surgery:


This is what I sounded like (speaking) after the surgery:


Not being sure if I’d ever speak or make music again in the way I was used to, hurt me deeply and left me severely depressed for years. It is something I still struggle with to this day.

Here’s a video of me singing for the first time after the surgery, summer of 2013:


With therapy and lots of support from my wonderful husband (he wouldn’t let me quit), I regained most of my speaking voice, although it stills sounds off when I’m tired, and even though I can sing once more, I no longer have the same range I did before all this happened. Despite all that, I am NOT going to let that hold me down!!

Read my story:  www.expressionsbyjo.com/journey

Why Jamaica?

I’m making a new start. I want to build something new on what I have learned and experienced here in the US – both good and bad, and my fervent desire is to do it in my birth home of Kingston, Jamaica. It is where life for me with music started. I’ve performed for large and small crowds ever since I was eight years old while growing up there. Returning to my roots and doing the album on my island home will put the music closer to the beating of my Caribbean heart.

The reason for all of this

My experience with cancer has made me realize that the disease affects the spirit, much more than the body. Even if it’s just a song, having someone in your life providing comfort when things are dark can be worth more to them than all the treatments the doctors give.

When I get to Jamaica, bringing music to brighten the day of others will be a way of sharing my experiences to give hope that there is life after cancer. 

Any proceeds from album sales will go to the Jamaica Cancer Society: http://jamaicacancersociety.org.

To celebrate the fact that I can still carry a tune, even if I’m missing some parts of my voice, I want to make a brand new, studio-produced, top-notch album that will tell the world, “Thank you! I’m still here!”

I want to express my gratitude to the universe and all who have supported me to health and wellness by putting it all in song. I am not able to perform much publicly anymore. I do not have the strength and endurance I once had on account of my medical condition. But I can still sing. I can still write music. Jamaica is the land of reggae legends Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley. The island’s heart is music! I want to be close to that heart once again!

                    


What your generosity will help me do:
- production of album (studio time, musicians, mixing, mastering) $6,000
- CD manufacturing, marketing and shipping  - $4,000
- video production - $3,000
- move to Jamaica from Atlanta, GA (flight, moving expenses*) - $12,000
* if you’ve ever tried to move to another country, you know it ain’t cheap

What you'll get:

Your contribution will get you anything from a hat, to a personal "thank you" video from me on the beach in Jamaica. You could even get a tour of Kingston! Check out the Perks!


Thank you!

Regardless of the amount raised, every little bit helps! If you are unable to contribute, but would still like to help my campaign, please like this page on Facebook or other social media and forward it to anyone you think might be interested in supporting it. Use the campaign links provided at the bottom of the page, or check out the sites below.

Find the campaign:

https://www.facebook.com/joanne.carlson.9250

https://twitter.com/crowdfundforjo

#crowdfundforjo

Learn more about me:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChsSr5xrXavtw5BF59wNQDg/videos

www.expressionsbyjo.com

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/joanne-carls...

Recording my album in Jamaica is only the beginning. Aside from music, I am also a painter, I knit and crochet, and I am constantly trying something new to express myself creatively. I want to give back the love that has been so abundantly shown to me by becoming active in the artistic community as much as possible. Empowering others to bring forth their own artistic expression is something I take very seriously, and by funding my Indiegogo campaign, you will help me on the road to building something meaningful in the arts in Kingston—something that is near and dear to my heart.

Thank you for taking the time to check out my page.

I Love You!

I Trust You With My Love!

Wishing You Health, Longevity and Peace!

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Choose your Perk

Love!

$5 USD
I will send you a big "THANK YOU" via email.
1 claimed

A Taste of the Album!!!

$30 USD
A download of half the songs from the album and a big "Thank you!"
0 claimed

Buy a Handmade Hat!

$40 USD
This is a one-of-a-kind, handmade crochet hat in the colors of the Jamaican flag. See a picture of them near the bottom of the main page. Limited supply! Get yours now!
1 out of 20 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

The Album is Yours!

$50 USD
A download of the whole album, and a huge "Thank you!"
2 claimed

CD and "Thank You" song!

$500 USD
You get a signed copy of the CD, AND a personalized “thank you” song celebrating how wonderful you are on YouTube!
1 claimed
Ships worldwide.

The Beach!

$2,500 USD
A personalized “thank you” song from me in a video, shot on the beach in Jamaica on YouTube; AND a signed copy of the CD with your name in the liner notes.
0 out of 5 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

A Tour of Kingston!

$5,000 USD
A signed copy of the CD with your name in the liner notes; AND a personal guided tour of Kingston whenever you’re in town, conducted by me personally.
0 out of 2 of claimed
Ships worldwide.
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