With a little help from my friends..for Bruce

When I met Kim and Bruce I knew immediately they are my tribe. If you are a friend of these two I’m sure you got that same magical feeling. The impact Kim and Bruce have had on countless lives is profound. Now, we have an opportunity to reciprocate some of the magic they've selflessly shared with us all. If you're able, please consider donating towards Bruce's medical care. If not, your positive vibes are equally appreciated. ✌️

Letter from Kim:

Hi Friends,

I don’t quite know how or where to begin. Recently, my husband and best friend of 40 years Bruce Buckingham had the rug pulled out from under him. After more than two years of struggle and confusion, Bruce was finally diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia. There are many different kinds of dementia, but this particular kind affects brain regions involved in thinking, memory and movement. If you know Bruce, you know how devastating this is. Writing it out, makes it real.

If you don’t know Bruce, let me tell you just a little about him, Bruce is a creative genius. He is a world class musician, a brilliant guitarist, teacher, and author. He has been in bands and sessions since he was 17 years old. His life has been music. His first love was his guitars.

His love of music translated to his profound impact as a teacher. With more than 35 years at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood under his belt, he has lastingly touched the lives of many students and friends. He wrote guitar books through Hal Leonard Music, he wrote curriculums for the Hollywood and Japanese schools, his student from all over the world— they all spoke the same language of music. His students admired him, worshiped him, and felt blessed with his passion for teaching.

Two and a half years ago he started showing signs of memory loss. This progressed to signs of movement issues, he was shuffling his feet, had hand and leg tremors. So we began the grueling medical process— we saw the first three Neurologists in Nashville. After rounds and rounds of the same cognitive tests, they would tell us to come back in 6 months. The longer we waited, the worse it got. This was not my Bruce and I was hell bent on getting an answer. I pushed until we could see a doctor that looked at Bruce as a whole person. It was hard, very hard. You really have to fight for your person, advocate for the one you love and trust your intuition along the way.

By the time we were able to get into Vanderbilt, Bruce wasn’t able to play guitar anymore. After a verse or two he would lose his place in the music, music he had been playing his entire life. It was heartbreaking to watch.

Vanderbilt gave him a medication for tremors, it did the job fine. Another for memory, sure. The most prominent symptom of them all: hallucinations, but we call them stories. He tells me what he sees, they’re vivid hallucinations, I make a joke or two and we laugh for a moment— a brief breath of fresh air in our new normal. He’s on medication for the stories too. None of the medication have brought back his guitar playing. He’s aware of his loss, sometimes he remembers chords, but most of the time he lives in the heartbreak of knowing it’s gone. Losing his ability to play guitar has changed not only Bruce, but our entire community and the people in it. He can’t play, teach, read, or write. The musician, guitarist, teacher and author.

I could go on but the reality is, since his diagnosis, Bruce has declined drastically and each day is unpredictable. It’s earth shattering. Like I said, I don’t know how or where to begin, but he, and we, need your help for his care, and for his family. Thank you for your support.

With gratitude,

Kim Buckingham