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Help Out Sam Sneed
On a sad note here is a press release received regarding Sam Sneed's health:
This is not your ordinary press release with the who-said or who-did-what-to-whom. This is an alarm sounding, an urgent call to action. We witness so much untimely, senseless death to be so young, vibrant and full of promise. We have at this moment an opportunity to keep one of ours alive instead of shaking our heads and shedding tears questioning "why?!" The news was brought to me, and as a writer, I felt compelled to share the story and DO something about it to bring about a happy ending.
Music producer Sam "Sneed" Anderson, co-producer of "Natural Born Killers" and "Keep Their Heads Ringin', as well as producer for Capone-N-Noreaga ("Closer")and Cherelle ("Sleeping With The Enemy"), has been diagnosed with Astrocytoma Grade 3. This is a malignant brain tumor the size of a golf ball or a plum in its third stage of four stages of growth. Sam is only 31 years old. Though he has no health coverage, the migraines he was experiencing forced him to visit the emergency room on August 3. "The headaches were unbearable", he recalls. "I went in after three weeks of pain, and they [the hospital] kept me." The tumor is too large and Sam is too young for surgery to be the first option; he must undergo CT and MRI scans plus radiation therapy in order to slow the growth and reduce the size of the tumor.
This 5-day per week, seven-week therapy begins August 30. The "Peacock" delivery technique of radiation therapy,practiced in only 6 of America's hospitals, is Sam's best option. This therapy is estimated at $35,000. When surgery becomes necessary, the costs increase--but so do the risks: due to the position of the tumor, surgery could permanently impede Sam's speech, cognitive ability, and control over the right side of his body. I personally cannot imagine the man who created those bangin' tracks doing anything but more incredible music. The exercise of creating music has probably contributed to his brain's power, sustaining him beyond the point of the average brain cancer patient.
Amazingly, Sam has not suffered the usual seizures and impediments that come with tumors of this magnitude. In fact, before his diagnosis, Sam was keeping a full production schedule with Jay-Z and Peter Gunz.He and his family view his endurance to this point as a miracle, a testament to his will to live. Sam's faith is unwavering and he believes he will recover fully. But time is of the essence. How can you help? If you have a label/company expense account, send Sam a tax deductible "gift certificate" to Three Rivers Bank, where a fund has been established to cover his considerable medical expenses. If you have a job and can spare a few bucks or wait on those new shoes, send a check to:
Sam Anderson Fund
Three Rivers Bank c/o Laura Walker P.O. Box 3045
McKeesport, PA 15134-3045
If you can get artists involved to hold benefit shows, tell them they will be joining Scarface and Eightball, who have already committed to performing for Sam. Sway & Tech, The Poetess, and KRS-ONE got the word and your help is needed to get the word out and the funds coming in. Send this email to the high-powered label presidents, indies, mouthpieces, promo pros--we all have a positive part to play. No amount is too little or to large. But doing nothing, remaining silent, is unacceptable. If you can do a story or an item on this, Sam is available for interviews. Please contact me at [email protected] and I'll put you in contact with him.
One Love, Thembisa S. Mshaka
On a sad note here is a press release received regarding Sam Sneed's health:
This is not your ordinary press release with the who-said or who-did-what-to-whom. This is an alarm sounding, an urgent call to action. We witness so much untimely, senseless death to be so young, vibrant and full of promise. We have at this moment an opportunity to keep one of ours alive instead of shaking our heads and shedding tears questioning "why?!" The news was brought to me, and as a writer, I felt compelled to share the story and DO something about it to bring about a happy ending.
Music producer Sam "Sneed" Anderson, co-producer of "Natural Born Killers" and "Keep Their Heads Ringin', as well as producer for Capone-N-Noreaga ("Closer")and Cherelle ("Sleeping With The Enemy"), has been diagnosed with Astrocytoma Grade 3. This is a malignant brain tumor the size of a golf ball or a plum in its third stage of four stages of growth. Sam is only 31 years old. Though he has no health coverage, the migraines he was experiencing forced him to visit the emergency room on August 3. "The headaches were unbearable", he recalls. "I went in after three weeks of pain, and they [the hospital] kept me." The tumor is too large and Sam is too young for surgery to be the first option; he must undergo CT and MRI scans plus radiation therapy in order to slow the growth and reduce the size of the tumor.
This 5-day per week, seven-week therapy begins August 30. The "Peacock" delivery technique of radiation therapy,practiced in only 6 of America's hospitals, is Sam's best option. This therapy is estimated at $35,000. When surgery becomes necessary, the costs increase--but so do the risks: due to the position of the tumor, surgery could permanently impede Sam's speech, cognitive ability, and control over the right side of his body. I personally cannot imagine the man who created those bangin' tracks doing anything but more incredible music. The exercise of creating music has probably contributed to his brain's power, sustaining him beyond the point of the average brain cancer patient.
Amazingly, Sam has not suffered the usual seizures and impediments that come with tumors of this magnitude. In fact, before his diagnosis, Sam was keeping a full production schedule with Jay-Z and Peter Gunz.He and his family view his endurance to this point as a miracle, a testament to his will to live. Sam's faith is unwavering and he believes he will recover fully. But time is of the essence. How can you help? If you have a label/company expense account, send Sam a tax deductible "gift certificate" to Three Rivers Bank, where a fund has been established to cover his considerable medical expenses. If you have a job and can spare a few bucks or wait on those new shoes, send a check to:
Sam Anderson Fund
Three Rivers Bank c/o Laura Walker P.O. Box 3045
McKeesport, PA 15134-3045
If you can get artists involved to hold benefit shows, tell them they will be joining Scarface and Eightball, who have already committed to performing for Sam. Sway & Tech, The Poetess, and KRS-ONE got the word and your help is needed to get the word out and the funds coming in. Send this email to the high-powered label presidents, indies, mouthpieces, promo pros--we all have a positive part to play. No amount is too little or to large. But doing nothing, remaining silent, is unacceptable. If you can do a story or an item on this, Sam is available for interviews. Please contact me at [email protected] and I'll put you in contact with him.
One Love, Thembisa S. Mshaka
