Ani's Medical Fund

This medical fund for Ani Schempf (professionally known as DJ Ani Quinn)

has been organized by Mary Lou Schempf, Ani’s mother.

 

 

On September 12, 2021, Ani had a serious accident while surfing at Rockaway Beach NY.  Ani was thrown from his surfboard backwards into the water. The impact of the fall caused a concussion and whiplash with damage to his cervical spine.

 

After the accident, he started to experience blurry and distorted vision, and dizziness, and constant instability in his neck.

 

Ani is dealing with multiple neurological complications. He is experiencing numbness and weakness in his arms, hands, and legs.  He has balance and coordination problems. He also experiences painful muscle spasms and has nerve pain that wraps around his head affecting his vision and hearing.

 

Ani has had MRIs, brain scans, and X-rays. He has been seeing a spine specialist and a neurologist and has been doing his prescribed physical therapy.

However, after three months of his current therapy, the severity of his symptoms has not improved, and the quality of his life has declined.

 

Prior to the injury, Ani was regularly running 6-10 miles at a time, but now even a short walk is triggering painful symptoms.

 

Because of his limited ability to move around he has been unable to work and has had to cancel all his gigs.

 

As is often common with concussion and whiplash,  he needs further testing and multiple modalities of treatment that are not covered by his insurance.   Unfortunately, surgery to repair the damage to his neck is looking inevitable.

 

Navigating the healthcare system with his complicated injury has been incredibly difficult and has depleted Ani’s resources. He needs financial help to cover his future medical expenses.

Many of you know Ani as DJ Ani Quinn, or even just DJ Ani. When he first became interested in music, Ani played the electric bass in bands (1980’s). He then fell in love with DJing—Ani recorded and toured with Deee-Lite, and eventually started DJing around the world. During this time, he also worked with Zoo York (1990's). Choosing to travel less, he started DJing more locally at venues in and around NYC so that he could be closer to friends and family (2000-2021).  His friends have always known him to be passionate about music as well as skateboarding, surfing, cycling, and inline skating—and in recent years, overall health & fitness.

 During the pandemic, when New York City was locked down and musicians and DJs struggled to find work, Ani found a way to cope with the stress and isolation of the pandemic—he began surfing again. He found his way to Rockaway Beach NY and became a part of a community of people that share his love of the ocean. On the beach, Ani was friendly, outgoing and known for his enthusiasm for being in the water. In the summer of 2020, Ani and a fellow surfer rescued a distressed swimmer from drowning.

 

Ani’s surfing accident in September 2021 abruptly turned his life upside-down.

This injury has been devastating for Ani and for everyone who loves him and cares about his future.

 

Our family is doing everything we can to get Ani the medical treatment and rehabilitation he needs to recover from this accident.

But Ani needs more help. 

Any support will be greatly appreciated by Ani and his family, and all donations will be used to help Ani recover.

The family would be grateful if you would share this campaign widely on your networks.

Thank you for your help.

 

Mary Lou Schempf