Support Shan's Post-Cancer Concert Trip
Donation protected
Hello! My name is Shan and I'm raising funds to go to Seattle to see my favorite band after fighting Stage II ++/- breast cancer.
I have a ticket to see The Get Up Kids, my favorite band since 1999 (ok, and besides the Clash), play at Seattle's Showbox Theatre on Sept. 8. This month is the 25th anniversary of their best album titled Something to Write Home About, which they'll be performing it in its entirety!
I love this band so much that I got a tattoo of their album art for my 18th birthday. After graduating high school, I actually moved to their home state of Kansas to work for a company some of the band members co-owned. And to this day, a lot of people know me as mod Masspike from the old TGUK message boards circa early 2000s.
This trip was supposed to be my end of treatment present (as I was originally scheduled to finish radiation by the end of August) and I wasn't supposed to have any trouble paying for it. But that was delayed due to slow healing from my lumpectomy and now insurance issues with radiation.
Here's the rub: I've been on medical leave and haven't received any income since early August. I have only managed to save a little bit of money this month and not nearly enough to cover what's needed for a trip to Seattle. So I'm asking for help in the form of $800.
Is this selfish? Yeah, it is. But I have just endured the worst experience of my life: my mental health is in the gutter. My hair is coming back in chaotically, making me look like a stressed out stepdad. I just did 7 months of chemotherapy, dammit! In the words of Alexis Rose, it's my turn to take a selfish.
Here's the cost breakdown of my request:
- $550 for round-trip airfare from Anchorage to Seattle. Fares on Alaska Airlines are about $250 each way in Main. If you want to send over Mileage Plan miles instead, I'm just shy of being able to buy half the trip in miles and can reduce the requested amount accordingly.
- $250 for hotel accommodation at the Palihotel Seattle. It's just a block from the venue and while cheaper accommodation is available at the nearby Green Tortoise Hostel, I don't think I can put up with the exuberance of youth at this time (the show is 21+).
- Any additional funds will go towards public transportation to/from SeaTac and hotel, upgrading to an exit row seat, and tips for my dog sitter as Salto will need to spend the night with a friend.
So yeah, is this selfish? Totally. Completely selfish. But the Seattle date works perfectly with my treatment plan as it is on a weekend and just a short flight from home, and I could really, really use the pick-me-up, change of scenery, and nostalgic joy that seeing Midwestern early 2000s emo can bring to an aging millennial soul. You know that feeling when your favorite song from high school comes on the radio? I want to live it one more time before we're all too old to rock.
If you feel compelled to help out, thank you for your generosity! For those that do not, have a good day!
Organizer
Shannon Cole
Organizer
Anchorage, AK