Mike Elliott and family - Emergency Fundraiser

My name is Jill; if you don't already know me. This story is about my cousin Mike Elliott. Mike and his brother and sister are my Aunt Jean’s kids, my Mom’s closest sibling of 6. Mike was one of our favourite relatives growing up and very dear to my sister Shelley both in age and friendship. I loved hanging out with them, but they’d get on a bicycle together and leave me in the dust :). We spent all of the summers of our youth in Nova Scotia basking in the charismatic glow that our cousins cast upon us and the surrounding townspeople. Live music, dancing, singalongs, clambakes, card games, and the ultimate happy place for my sister and me. These times are some of our best memories.

Mike has, in a nutshell, been dealt a lousy deal from life despite his immense talent. When he was younger, Mike was (and still is) a savant musician playing old-time fiddle and pretty much any instrument he picked up. He sang with the ghost of Merle Haggard inspiring every note. Mike played professionally with his legendary dad Carl Elliott and his brother Bill, performing across Canada and the USA.

 

When Mike was 25, he was a passenger in a terrible car accident that would change his life forever. They rebuilt his leg, and he survived significant head trauma, but the insidious nature of the throat damage sustained from long-term intubation has haunted his life. The nightmare continues with multiple tracheostomies due to his collapsed windpipe and more than a dozen surgeries on throat scar tissue. If that wasn’t enough, Mike presented with neck cancer in 2017 and had major surgery that resulted in even more surgeries. Mike survived this cancer and carried on until one day this year, he started feeling out of breath and tired, only to discover he had a blocked mitral valve in his heart - a flaw he may have been born with. He now has to face another tracheotomy since he can no longer be intubated, followed by very risky open-heart surgery during which a plate will be inserted in his back behind his heart. Needless to say, the healing time involved following this operation will be lengthy.

 

Mike’s siblings, Bill and Glenda, have been doing all they can to support Mike and will continue to do so. They also provide family support to their 93-year-old father, Carl Elliott.

After several weeks in hospital, Mike will be at his home recovering with visiting nurses and whatever his very supportive family and community can do for him. Mike has two beautiful sons - Carl, 16 and Caden, 11 who split their time between Mike's house in Bass River and their mom Roda's house in Bible Hill (45 miles away), Mike & Roda work together to make Carl and Caden's lives smooth and love-filled.  As well, two sweet dogs live with Mike, also needing temporary care. In the past, Mike’s family and his home communities of Economy and Bass River have raised money for Mike when he has fallen upon hard times. And, in turn, the Elliott Family has performed at multiple fundraisers over the years to support other families in the surrounding towns.

I felt I wanted to remove the burden from these small villages and help to raise money for Mike’s care, mounting bills, food, medications, and dog care, and give my family (Mike’s immediate family) some peace of mind that this will not fall on their shoulders.

 

Please consider a small donation to help support Mike’s family during this challenging time when he cannot work or participate in care for his family. Thank you so much for reading! Jill