Aaron Parks posted an update over the weekend about jazz musician Mark Turner’s progress in healing from his recent finger injuries:
Hi everyone,
I know many of you have been asking for more news about Mark’s condition. Out of respect for the privacy of him and his family during this difficult time, I’ve been a bit reluctant to make any more posts about it. Also, there’s a lot of people who have known him for much longer than me and would probably be better chosen for the job of keeping people informed. At this point, though, it seems that this blog has become the primary source for information about what happened, and therefore, it’s the place many people are coming to for information about ways that they can help. It’s with this in mind that I’m writing this post tonight.
Over the last week, I’ve been talking with some of Mark’s close friends and colleagues about how best to show our support for him and his family. One encouraging thing in all these conversations has been a sense of cautious optimism. Yes, the damage done to his fingers was definitely serious and will take time to heal. But the surgery seems to have been a success, and it looks like much of it will be covered by his health insurance. That’s some very good news; these days, it’s increasingly rare for musicians to have any insurance at all. Also, Mark is one of the healthiest and most centered people around; if anyone has what it takes (physically, mentally, spiritually) to overcome this kind of challenge, he does.So, taking all this into account, the consensus among those I’ve talked with is that it’s a bit premature to put together a “benefit concert” right now. Although Mark’s injury is every musician’s worst nightmare, it’s ultimately not life-threatening, and he has a good chance of an eventual full recovery. Everyone seems to be in agreement that the benefit concert idea should be reserved for moments that truly require immediate action; life-or-death situations such as those of Andrew D’Angelo and Dennis Irwin, recently.
Nonetheless, there is going to be an increased financial burden on his family during the coming months of his recovery. Taking on more private students (as he is intending to do) will definitely help, but may not close the gap entirely. And since so many people have expressed an overwhelming desire to help in some way, it seemed that a fund should be created for those who want to contribute.
So, over the last week, I’ve been talking to a number of people about how to set up this kind of thing. We’re currently looking into the best way to do it, hopefully so that it’s tax-deductable for the contributors and tax-free for Mark. That’s why there’s been a bit of a delay in getting it up and running. As soon we get things worked out and run it past him and his family to make sure they’re OK with it, I’ll post another blog.
Thanks, everyone, for caring…
Aaron
It will be a long, slow recovery, but everyone knows that Mark Turners have what it takes!
[Update 19 Jan 2009]: Good news! Mark’s apparently healing well.