Let's Help Gary Get On His Feet Again
Donation protected
THE INJURY
On August 9th, Gary was on his way to play a wedding, lugging 50 pounds of musical equipment across about 50 yards of grass when, he says, "I took two steps, stumbled, caught myself, not dropping the gear. About halfway to the ground, I heard two loud pops that came from my left knee, followed by maybe the worst pain I have ever felt."
It turns out those pops were a horrible sign.
THE DIAGNOSIS
(From the MRI report) EXTENSOR MECHANISM
Extensive tear of the Quadriceps Mechanism. There are a few fibers still seen intact along the Patella. Greater than 90% of the Quadriceps appears completely torn.
THE SURGERY
The injury happened on August 4th, and Gary went into surgery on August 24th. He thought maybe he'd be back on the bandstand in a week. "What I hadn't figured in," he said, "was that they had to cut my leg open to fix this thing!"
Some of you who know Gary well, know that he's been clean and sober for 33 years. One of the difficult aspects of this injury and the resulting surgery has been the pain. Gary decided to ride it out rather than have to go through possible withdrawals again from pain medications. So yeah, regular aspirin is how he's managing. Gary wanted you to know that he's doing well without the pain meds, and he's glad that he went this route.
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT
Our campaign goal is $9,000 to fund Gary's day to day costs of living until he can get back on his feet.
"I play shows, and when I'm not playing shows, I deliver GrubHub. The reason I deliver GrubHub is the open schedule. If I get a gig, no GrubHub.
I get recognized for my music career while delivering sometimes, and I say something like 'Rockstar' delivering your food tonight :) (chuckle), or I'll hear, 'What are you doing delivering food, to which I'll say, "Just making ends meet. It gives me time to do music."
Gary needs to heal, and it's going to take some time. The doctors estimate at least six months to a year until he's able to get around like he used to. For now, driving for GrubHub is out of the question. The good news is, he can do some limited gigging. However, there are some stipulations; he has to sit down while he plays, his bandmates have to help him with gear (no carrying heavy OR light equipment,) and no tripping over cords and cables!
HOW WILL YOUR DONATIONS HELP?
Your donations will go towards covering Gary's monthly bills while he recovers. Gary lives frugally, but food, gas, phone, utilities, rent, a car payment, and car insurance bills are ongoing.
Most full-time artists and musicians live on the edge with little to nothing in savings. Being a self-employed musician means that Gary's resources are limited. We — Gary's community — are the safety net that will help see him through.
YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED
We've known Gary since the 70s when he was a talented teen just starting out in music. Joining Nu Shooz in the 80s, Gary's bass playing quickly became an integral part of our sound. More recently, we asked him to join us for our re-formed Nu Shooz band and a new record. It's been such a pleasure sharing the stage again with this beautiful human.
There's a good chance you know Gary, and if you don't, you've probably seen him play somewhere in the last 40+ years. He's not just a great bass player — he radiates pure joy from the stage. He's one of the bright lights of the Portland music scene. It would be a shame to see this amazing person and musician become homeless or lose his car because of an injury.
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!
Thank you for reading this, and for supporting if you can. If possible, spread the word about this campaign on social media, [Facebook, Instagram, etc.] and share it with your friends. We'll keep you posted on his progress.
In gratitude,
Valerie & John
On August 9th, Gary was on his way to play a wedding, lugging 50 pounds of musical equipment across about 50 yards of grass when, he says, "I took two steps, stumbled, caught myself, not dropping the gear. About halfway to the ground, I heard two loud pops that came from my left knee, followed by maybe the worst pain I have ever felt."
It turns out those pops were a horrible sign.
THE DIAGNOSIS
(From the MRI report) EXTENSOR MECHANISM
Extensive tear of the Quadriceps Mechanism. There are a few fibers still seen intact along the Patella. Greater than 90% of the Quadriceps appears completely torn.
That means that Gary's kneecap was hanging by a THREAD! (Or really three threads... but still!)
Yikes!
Yikes!
THE SURGERY
The injury happened on August 4th, and Gary went into surgery on August 24th. He thought maybe he'd be back on the bandstand in a week. "What I hadn't figured in," he said, "was that they had to cut my leg open to fix this thing!"
Some of you who know Gary well, know that he's been clean and sober for 33 years. One of the difficult aspects of this injury and the resulting surgery has been the pain. Gary decided to ride it out rather than have to go through possible withdrawals again from pain medications. So yeah, regular aspirin is how he's managing. Gary wanted you to know that he's doing well without the pain meds, and he's glad that he went this route.
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT
Our campaign goal is $9,000 to fund Gary's day to day costs of living until he can get back on his feet.
"I play shows, and when I'm not playing shows, I deliver GrubHub. The reason I deliver GrubHub is the open schedule. If I get a gig, no GrubHub.
I get recognized for my music career while delivering sometimes, and I say something like 'Rockstar' delivering your food tonight :) (chuckle), or I'll hear, 'What are you doing delivering food, to which I'll say, "Just making ends meet. It gives me time to do music."
Gary needs to heal, and it's going to take some time. The doctors estimate at least six months to a year until he's able to get around like he used to. For now, driving for GrubHub is out of the question. The good news is, he can do some limited gigging. However, there are some stipulations; he has to sit down while he plays, his bandmates have to help him with gear (no carrying heavy OR light equipment,) and no tripping over cords and cables!
HOW WILL YOUR DONATIONS HELP?
Your donations will go towards covering Gary's monthly bills while he recovers. Gary lives frugally, but food, gas, phone, utilities, rent, a car payment, and car insurance bills are ongoing.
Most full-time artists and musicians live on the edge with little to nothing in savings. Being a self-employed musician means that Gary's resources are limited. We — Gary's community — are the safety net that will help see him through.
YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED
We've known Gary since the 70s when he was a talented teen just starting out in music. Joining Nu Shooz in the 80s, Gary's bass playing quickly became an integral part of our sound. More recently, we asked him to join us for our re-formed Nu Shooz band and a new record. It's been such a pleasure sharing the stage again with this beautiful human.
There's a good chance you know Gary, and if you don't, you've probably seen him play somewhere in the last 40+ years. He's not just a great bass player — he radiates pure joy from the stage. He's one of the bright lights of the Portland music scene. It would be a shame to see this amazing person and musician become homeless or lose his car because of an injury.
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!
Thank you for reading this, and for supporting if you can. If possible, spread the word about this campaign on social media, [Facebook, Instagram, etc.] and share it with your friends. We'll keep you posted on his progress.
In gratitude,
Valerie & John
Organizer and beneficiary
Valerie Day
Organizer
Portland, OR
Gary Fountaine
Beneficiary