Hey all, Ian here from Seattle band Among Authors. I and the rest of the band, Jason, Jon, and Patrick, have decided to start something called the Sonar Foundation. Essentially, it’s a way for us to continually give back and hopefully encourage others to do the same! We chose Seattle Children’s Hospital’s Uncompensated Care fund as our first fund raiser because I would actually be dead if it weren’t for Children’s Hospital, soooo naturally it just kind of makes sense to be raising money for them!
I was born with something called Tracheoesophageal fistula. Essentially, I was rushed into emergency surgery at birth to fix a major problem with my esophagus. I won’t bore you with those details, but if you care to know more just google the term! The real story here lies within the years that came after. Throughout my childhood I was constantly in and out of the hospital with Pneumonia. Sometimes staying a few weeks at a time. During that time, I remember thinking about all the kids my age who were permanently stuck in the hospital with terminal illness, cancer, etc. Kids that I was pretty sure were never going to leave that hospital, many of which who would not go on to experience adulthood. No hiking a mountain, no jumping in puddles or kicking a ball around. No falling in love. These are simple but very important things every child should grow up to experience at some point in their life. I felt so bad for them and I distinctly remember how much my problems seemed so insignificant to theirs. Though the problems we all face day to day, they’re all relative. And we all the ability to feel because of the problems and struggles we’ve personally experienced.
I remember I had these Chuck Norris action figures, yes, I can’t make this stuff up… my brother and I ACTUALLY had CHUCK NORRIS action figures. EPIC. Anyways, I had them at the hospital one time I was stuck there for a while, and this one kid kept coming into my room to play with them, and that’s kind of just the atmosphere Children’s Hospital upholds. Yes, they save lives, but while doing so, they also do not forget that kids are kids, and they want freedom and experiences like every other kid (or adult). Children’s Hospital is a place many kids, despite it being their un-chosen home, actually felt at home in. This kid was just walking around the halls of the hospital, borrowing toys, just doing what a kid would do.
Life will always throw really crazy things at you when you least expect it. I was born with a multitude of problems, having only one thumb, def on my right side, open heart surgery at 23 years of age, all that pneumonia, the tracheosophageal fistula as a baby… many, many things, and who knows what might come up in the future! But I can tell you one thing, life is so beautiful, and we all have the ability to save lives and/or make someones day a little brighter. We must not forget our own struggles, so we can use them to lift up others. Empathy is everything, and that word and meaning would have never been created if it weren’t for humanity, and the love we all are capable of receiving and giving. We choose to make a difference, which is why our bands new Sonar Foundation means so much to me and the rest of the band. It’s something we’ve thought about for a while, and we are so proud to be finally making it a reality!
Please join us on September 28th at the High Dive in Seattle for our first Sonar Foundation benefit show, benefiting Seattle Children’s Hospital’s Uncompensated Care fund. Our band Among Authors will be headlining this event, but we’ve also booked many other great bands and friends who are all donating their time to make this event absolutely amazing! These bands include, Cate, Wolfchild, Oliver Stellfox, Dirty Dirty, Arthur James, Kelsey Sprague, Kimo Muraki, Isabeau Waia’u Walker, Crazy Eyes, Datenite, Happy Heartbreak, Sandi Fernandez and The Beacon Hillbillies.
Regardless of whether or not you’re able to attend our event on Sept. 28th, we are raising money online as well, here’s the link:
https://giveto.seattlechildrens.org/sonarfoundation
Tickets on sale now for September 28th!
https://www.highdiveseattle.com/e/benefit-for-children-s-hospital-featuring-among-authors-friends-72752690255/
If you’re on Facebook, please head to this event link to tell us you’re coming on the 28th, and then share that link across all your social media, it would be so helpful!
A WORD FROM SEATTLE CHILDREN’S:
At Children’s, we want families to be able to care for their child, not worry about whether they’ll have to choose between their child’s health and their financial health. By filling in the gaps left by insurance shortfalls or the inability to pay, uncompensated care frees parents up to focus on getting their child well. This essential program fulfills Children’s founding promise to provide care to every infant, child and teen in Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho who needs us — regardless of insurance coverage or financial circumstances.
