Help us get Alex playing again

In 2022 Alex McKinney was diagnosed with tongue cancer. This came as a surprise to everyone as Alex has never smoked, dipped or used any tobacco product. Nevertheless, it happened. In following doctors orders Alex underwent his first surgery in June of 2022 where he was told that all the cancer had been removed. After his tissue slides were reviewed post surgery they found that unfortunately not all the cancer had been successfully removed, so back to surgery again. Alex had his second surgery not two weeks after the first, and again was told that they were able to remove all the cancer.

We thought that we were in the clear and Alex could go back to life as he knew it. But there was another plan in place for him. After a few weeks of increasing pain and discomfort Alex began loosing the use of his tongue and simple things like talking, enjoying a meal, drinking water, were becoming increasingly difficult if possible at all. This was getting scary! Alex went back to his local surgeon who referred him to Wake Forest/Baptist for a more in depth review of his situation. This is where we got the worst news - Alex was now in Stage 4 tongue cancer.

How his situation went from “we’ve removed all the cancer” to Stage 4 we may never know, but here we are. In the following weeks Alex consulted with doctors at Wake, Duke, and MD Anderson. All suggested a brutal course of chemotherapy and radiation to shrink the cancer and then surgery with hopes of saving Alex's tongue. For most types of cancer these are tough treatments for sure, however when the cancer is in the head/neck/mouth area, there are deep repercussions that would be life changing and permanent. Radiation can do harsh things to all it comes in contact with!

Weighing his options, Alex decided to look into alternate treatments to see if he could achieve the same outcome and he found a doctor outside of Charlotte, NC that has a protocol with a track record of just this. We were overjoyed that there is a different path that has hope for recovery! There is a catch though… This doctor is not “In Network” for any insurance carrier so all cost are paid by the patient out of pocket.

Considering Alex’s situation he is unable to work. Also, he is not able to do one of his biggest joys - play music! Alex started playing music when his dad taught him to play the banjo as a kiddo. After learning classical guitar, Alex moved on to the bass guitar, and at age 16 he was playing professional jazz. In the 90s his passion turned to rock where he was in the limelight as a member of Atlantic Record's band Athenaeum. In the 2000's Alex continued to play shows with artists Patrick Rock and Mark Kano. More recently Alex taught himself to play the dobro guitar and has played and toured with Americana musicians Caleb Caudle, Laurelyn Dossett, Martha Bassett, and Abigail Dowd to name a few. Alex also was an annual musician at MerleFest. Music is Alex's passion! Both work and playing music provided him financial stability and now he’s without both.

Many friends have reached out asking how they can help - which has been a wonderfully beautiful thing, Thank you! We were initially not quite sure what to say considering the usual help of providing a meal is not relatable to Alex’s situation. What is clearly visible now is the need for financial help as this is going to be a big mountain for Alex to climb through the treatments and also during his recovery. We are praying that on the other side of this Alex will be able to hit the stage again and allow music to round out his healing process, but we’ve got to get him there first.

If you feel so moved, prayers are welcome and needed. If you feel so moved to donate, please know that even the smallest amount is going to help in very big ways! All these funds will be used to Get Alex Playing Again! #GAPA

Thank you so very much!

~ Alex's Family: Parents: Dan and Martha McKinney, Sis & Bro-in-Law: Laura & Cal Menzies