Losing track...

Hard to believe it was over a year and a half ago that I spent an afternoon and evening with the wonderfully talented Katie Reider and her band. They were appearing at Peach's Grill out in Yellow Springs, and I asked if they'd mind if I did some band photos and such to expand that part of my portfolio. They set up but couldn't soundcheck for a while, so they had nothing better to do than sit for pictures for a couple hours. Really friendly and gracious, they had all sorts of patience as I tried various things (I think I'd just gotten my Lensbaby, and was trying it on everything) even though it was pretty chilly out. They ended up using a number of the shots in the design of the band website even though it was built a few months after the shoot.

I haven't really kept in touch with Katie and the guys. I've seen their show updates on MySpace and have considered making it out to see them, but haven't quite managed, since I'm traveling so many weekends. Then there was a MySpace bulletin this morning entitled "Katie Reider Benefits" -- so I opened it, and it turns out Katie is having radiation treatments for a tumor behind her eye, and there have been several fundraiser benefits to try to offset her medical bills.

"Some people have been asking where to send donations. Here is where you can do that.

Stonewall Center
Attn: Suzie Simpson
1160 N. High St.
Columbus. OH. 43201
*make checks payable to Katie Reider"

I wish Katie all the best for her treatment and speedy recovery, and if any of you can chip in, I'm sure she'd appreciate it. Or pick up a CD or buy a few songs from iTunes... you'll be glad you did.

This also points to a larger problem, because it seems every few months I hear about another musician or artist in the area who falls ill, or has an accident, and they have no insurance coverage or money to pay for treatment. So, their friends and fans will do a couple benefits, but honestly, I can't imagine even the most successful local benefit show raising more than a couple thousand dollars, which is a drop in the bucket in terms of medical costs. And for every musician/artist you hear about, there are hundreds or thousands of everyday people who find themselves in the same situation because of the expense and difficulty of purchasing health insurance. I'm sure most people who are trying to make a living as an artist or musician are pretty likely not to have insurance, just playing the odds hoping they don't get sick or anything.

I'm still amazed that so many people think that public health care is such a terrible idea. The recent stink over the S-CHIP program and Graeme Frost actually has some people saying that "oh, they should have to sell their house and business and go into debt to pay the medical bills because their kids were critically wounded in an auto accident" instead of saying "wow, the program that let his family PURCHASE discounted health INSURANCE sure was a good thing. It's probably helping lots of other people, too." We're already paying for universal health care, just not receiving it. I heard the math the other day, that if you compare Canadian taxes (which include most health care costs) against US taxes AND what we pay for health care, the Canadians come out money ahead. But the health insurance industry has lobbyists... all the US citizens have are Congress.