It’s raining pennies from heaven

Sorry for the sappy sentiment, Bill, but it's true.

This has been an amazing couple of weeks for donations and general support. Bill wrote recently that the total now approximates what he had to pay out of pocket during the time when he was caught without insurance. Just a few of the many:

• Portland band Ebenezer combined recent gig proceeds with tips they’d been collecting over the last year for a truly astonishing sum.

• There’ve been lots of spontaneous individual donations recently, despite the fact that PayPal isn’t working (we’re trying to fix it — in the meantime, see the “Donations” page for how to donate).

• Ron Lunceford, local banjo genius and Banjo Newsletter columnist, has donated a big box of his two fine solo CDs to be sold to benefit Bill. I’ll be putting these up on the blog soon. Drop me a line if interested.

• Seattle favorites, The Tallboys, will be donating proceeds from their Tractor Tavern Dance this Monday, July 27. See “Events” for details.

• On that same day in Portland, July 27, there’ll be a huge 3-band benefit dance at the Village Ballroom (also on the “Events” page).

• Many people have written messages on the “Good Wishes” page, and I know this means just as much to Bill as the financial support. Keep em coming.

I know I’m forgetting people. Let me just pass on our thanks and Bill’s to all contributors and well-wishers, whether listed above or not. And don’t miss Bill’s update on his current treatment plan, below, as well as Walter Spencer’s great video.

PayPal problems

The PayPal donation link isn’t working currently. Please use one of the other methods listed on the Donate page. Thanks for your patience, and we’ll post again when it’s fixed.

News & visiting info from Bill

Rare photo of Bill fighting a cancer cell

I just received this from Bill, about new developments in his treatment and where it’s going in the next few weeks. He also included this hospital pamphlet, with guidelines for visitors. We’ll be posting more details about where and when you can visit as soon as we know. Bill writes . . .

My little world shifted its axis this week. First, a quick overview of my treatment program for multiple myeloma: 6 months of chemotherapy to minimize the cancer.; at the right point, stem cells are extracted from my blood and frozen; then my bone marrow is destroyed and the stem cells are transplanted by injection back into my blood; after 2 or 3 weeks in hospital isolation I go home to recover my destroyed marrow and immune system over several months.

Well, it only took three months to throw down the cancer, so here I am suddenly faced with the life-changing transplant before I had time prepare.

Way to go, Ebenezer!

There’s a new event on the “Events” page: this Friday the 17th, Portland string band Ebenezer will play the Mississippi Pizza happy hour and pass the hat for Bill. And check out this great idea, from an email from the band’s fiddler, Caitlin Daum:

. . . Also, sneak preview – for the past year + Ebenezer has been saving their tips in Patrick Pressley’s guitar case, waiting for something worthwhile to spend them on. It looks like Bill Martin is what we were waiting for. I’ll let you know the final tally when we deposit the cash after next week’s show.

Another gig donation . . .

This just in from Dan Kluger in the Bay Area, proving you don’t have to be in Portland to donate your gig proceeds to the cause:

Hi Bill!! …and the greater leftcoast oldtime community,
Up here in OakLand, the Pork Pies will be playing tonight (warming up the patrons of the Temescal Outdoor Film Series), donating our gig proceeds to Bill’s health.
You continue to inspire us scratchy-fiddle squaredance lovers far and wide!!

With love,
Dan, Amy, Jordan, Erik & Megan

Benefits: last night, and Mon. 7/27

Steph Noll’s monthly dance at the uber-cool Village Ballroom will be benefitting Bill this month, Mon., July 27. Check the “Events” page for more info. And last night, a modified version of Uncle Wiggily — including Bill himself on cello — was called in at the last minute for the People’s Coop dance, with Maggie Lind calling. It totally rocked. There was a huge turnout, and we turned over all our tips to Bill. Once we announced we were doing that, people really seemed to open their purse strings, and we were astonished at the final amount: thank you, all! (And special thanks to whoever put in the hundred-dollar bill.)

Welcome – please subscribe!

Subscribe today - don't miss any news!

We’re anticipating that Walter Spencer’s amazing new video (see the post below this one) will bring some new visitors to the blog. Whether you’re new or not, before you leave, please consider subscribing, using one of the links on the right. Bill has some great news about the progress of his treatment and his schedule for visits and support which we’ll post soon, and you wouldn’t want to miss that, would you?

Most people will want to use the “Subscribe by email” option. The RSS link is for those who have an iGoogle homepage or some kind of news reader.

You might also try leaving a comment — on the new “Good Wishes” page, for example. Participation on the blog from Bill’s community will really help give energy to the support effort.

Video tribute to Bill

Thanks to Walter Spencer for putting this together. If you’ve come directly to this post from a link, be sure to click “Home,” above, to see more recent posts, after you’ve enjoyed the video.

It’s working – thanks!

We were away at the Fiddletunes festival for the weekend, and when we got back, there was a whole slew of new donations from Bill’s wonderful friends. We’ve raised close to $3,000 so far, and we can’t thank you enough for your generosity. This money will make a huge difference to Bill and go a long towards reducing his stress level as he heads into the transplant. Good news on that front, too, by the way: he’s continuing to respond beautifully to the treatment and may go into the transplant phase earlier than the doctors had predicted.

Bill’s sister Mary posted a comment elsewhere on the blog that I thought I’d quote here:

I am amazed and deeply touched by all the people who have been so generous in making donations to my brother Bill’s fund. It is comforting to Bill to know he can focus on healing and less on finances as he prepares for the stem cell transplant. I am learning that Bill is surrounded by friends who know the meaning of true frienship. He’s in good hands.