Help Tamara Pay BJ's Medical Bills

Hello, Friends Of Bernard Sarkissian! I am Lauren, also a friend of B's, here to ask for your help paying his outstanding medical bills. Thanks for reading and donating!

The first time I met BJ Sarkissian, I didn't know I was meeting one of the most caring souls I would encounter in this lifetime. He was playing his guitar in my chiropractor's office, working out a new song (that would become one of his greatest hits, "Asheville") and catching up with friends he hadn't seen in a while. I couldn't help but overhear bits of his story, which to me sounded pretty heavy. I didn't understand how he could seem so peaceful. As I shyly walked past him mumbling a thank you for the music, he smiled at me and said, "Have a blessed day." I remember thinking to myself, "If this guy can find peace and joy in life with all the stuff he's got going on, surely I can too.” I often found myself thinking of this anonymous bodhisattva's example in moments when I felt like a victim as I navigated my own life's challenges.

Around this same time, Tamara entered my life. I had been seeing this beautiful, stylish lady around town who clearly had some magic about her. She had the essence of the sort of woman I hoped to grow into one day, and I was intrigued. Once we had our first real meeting, it was clear she was a kindred spirit. Little did I know she and the Buddha from the chiropractor’s office were connected!

A few months later found me and my four-year-old daughter living in an old Chester County farmhouse with both of these fine folks. Over the year that we were lucky to live with them, I got an inside view of just how special they were together. In the years since, their warm and generous friendship, love, support, and of course, music, have seen me through some of the toughest times in my life and I am forever grateful. I know they have similarly touched the lives of many others in their wide circle.

Those of us who are lucky enough to have had BJ in our lives know that he was a human with an immense heart, who lived for helping others. He was the kind of person who could see through the rough outer surface to the gold that lies within each of us and he was really good at helping us see it too. Even when there was resistance. He wasn’t afraid to walk through the shadows and do the hard work and the world is a little bit of a brighter place thanks to all the shining hearts of gold he helped polish while he was here with us.

Many of you know B’s remarkable story, and if you don’t, the best way you could get to know it is by listening to his music. His songs speak openly and honestly of a life marked by adversity which ended up leading him on a journey into the heart, where he found many treasures to share with us. Now we have an opportunity to make a gesture in return.

BJ passed from this world peacefully on June 17th, 2023, after a long healing journey. In 2012, on the verge of crossing over due to liver failure, he miraculously received a liver transplant which saved and transformed his life, giving him 9 more healthy years of making music and being B. Unfortunately, in 2021, his kidneys failed, resulting in the need for dialysis, and his quality of life rapidly declined. Due to the intensity and frequency of the life-supporting treatment that is dialysis, Tamara and BJ had to greatly modify their lifestyle in order to adjust to the increased need for care. Tamara began caring for children in their home with B contributing as he could and they found themselves using their savings to cover living expenses. Needless to say, medical bills are costly and though B did his best to chip away at them over the past couple of years, Tamara has been left with about $12,000 remaining to pay.

This is the part where we get a chance to give to our dear friends. Tamara needs help paying off these bills, so let’s come together and help! Many hands make light work. If we dig deep into our hearts and pockets to find whatever amount we feel we can freely give to cover the expenses, it would help to ease the financial burden. On behalf of Tamara, with deep gratitude and many blessings, I thank you for your contributions in any amount to this fundraiser.