Dear Friends,

I became aware of a sad situation yesterday. A colleague of mine from my years at Berklee College of Music was diagnosed with Acute Mylegenous Leukemia: Cancer of the blood. He has been fighting his battle for over 2 years, and sadly, because of the laws surrounding Medicare eligibility for treatment of his condition, he has been unable to get the care he needs to increase his chances of survival.

I ask that you visit his donation website and give what you can to help make the $500,000 price tag of the treatments less of a death sentence and more of a chance to live. Through the love and support of his wife, family, friends, and total strangers, Jorge’s life may be saved.

A few years ago, Galaris, with your kind help, was able to raise $42,000 in donations to the Red Cross to help the Hurricane Katrina victims. I am hoping to prove that we musicians can rise to the challenge again and help a fellow musician in need of help.

On a personal note, I have seen cancer in my own family, and understand the toll it can take on a life. We are blessed to have such courageous people who not only have the tenacious will to live, but also the strength to ask for help when they need it most.

You can find Jorge Gonzalez’s site here: http://www.jorgegonzalezleukemiafund.com

I ask that you give whatever you can, and know that you are doing your part to make a huge difference in one important person’s life.

Thank you,
Ariel Soudak