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ROBIN ROGERS: A CALL TO COMMUNITY by Maureen Elizabeth
From a runaway teen to a well respected songstress with a Major Label, Robin Rogers has experienced more life, hard lived and lived hard, than most. So many times our blessings are also our curses and in reading her bio I can’t help but wonder if the apparent free spirit that led her in and out of trouble is not the same free spirit that blossomed into a voice full of story and soul. That spirit found a place of rest and happiness in the music that changed her life, the Blues. In the midst of her new life of music and love, Robin and her family faced a new struggle – her cancer. Many of us have been following her progress on Facebook and today we received this statement from Piedmont Talent Agency …”Last week Robin was to undergo TIPS surgery to keep blood from further entering her belly and breaking down into unsafe elements. The surgery would also have kept the swelling from threatening the integrity of the banding operation previously done to relieve esophageal verices (enlarged veins). Robin has had Hepatitis Type C and this condition has attacked her liver and has caused multiple complications. A CT scan prior to the procedure revealed a cancerous tumor on her liver. The tumor is untreatable given the condition of her liver. She is also not a candidate for a transplant as the drugs required to help the body accept a transplant would be ineffective and dangerous.
Robin is at home now and hospice has been called in. Tony and their family respectfully ask that despite the best of intentions, you do not stop by or call. They need their private time to be their own. At this point basic living expenses are the most pressing need. Robin will not be able to return to the stage and Tony will be out of work for the foreseeable future. Expenses for medicine are extremely high. Their medical fund does not cover any of these expenditures. Donations can be made directly to Robin at:
Robin Rogers 1134 Hardin Road Dallas NC 28034
Benefit concerts in Michigan and North Carolina are being finalized as well as other fundraising efforts. There will be a benefit with a silent auction at the Double Door Inn in Charlotte on October 24. Details very shortly. There is now a Facebook group you can join to stay on top of Robin’s benefits: "Robin Rogers Benefit Central."
Robin Rogers new cd, "Back in the Fire" is scheduled for release Sept 14 on Blind Pig Records. She will not be having the record release events that were planned for this month. You can help Robins cause, as she and her band are now essentially unemployed, by purchasing the new cd directly from Robin via her website www.robinrogers.com." In addition, the Charlotte Blues Society has set up a PayPal account, with 100% of the proceeds benefitting Robin. PayPal donations can be made on the following webpage: PayPal.
The call and response in the sharecroppers’ fields produced more than song – it created community. Community is that which sustains us in times both good and bad. And community will “rise up singing’” when someone is down. This is our call to you to help Robin and their family as they struggle through this journey. Please respond. Consider a donation, a benefit, a prayer…let us support our sister and rise up singing – for Robin.
