Save Tom's Hand!

* THANK YOU to EVERYONE who helped reach our goal to Save Tom's Hand, in barely 15 hours! This outpouring of support is AMAZING! The best part is, this goal was set as a realistically achievable marker for 42 days, and the fact that we crossed this threshold almost immediately means we can continue to reach for the sky and really put a dent in Tom's medical bills! Let's keep spreading the word, because every bit of this goes to Tom and every dollar counts!! Once again, THANK YOU!!! *

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Short Summary

Hey folks, how’s it going? My name is Brandon Baumann. I sing for the band Diamond Lane, and that is how I met Tom Chandler many moons ago. Since 2009 we have worked together closely on many projects and have developed a great friendship therein. Tom is a beloved friend to many, an excellent producer, guitar wizard, writing partner, guidance counselor, co-collaborator and all around go-to-guy. He lives for music and the ability to help create something meaningful that will stand the test of time. He prides himself in making sure those things “don’t suck”, for the betterment of us all really. Needless to say, he has selflessly given so much to so many in our music community without ever really asking for anything in return but thanks. The time has come for all of us to step up and help someone who truly needs a hand.

The point of this campaign is to help fundraise contributions to offset Tom’s currently-sky-high-piling medical bills. He has no health insurance and is facing years of debt, sitting in the hospital as I currently type this.

On February 11^th Tom’s dog Sheila bit his left hand, and it has been a subsequent fast track down hill since. His initial Urgent Care diagnosis revealed that Tom received a staph infection in the bite wounds and that antibiotics should wipe him clean in a few days. When his condition only worsened over the next two weeks, Tom went back to the doctor and they ordered him to immediately see a Disease Specialist. It turns out that Tom developed a gnarly anti-biotic resistant form of staph infection that eventually spread into the bone in his middle knuckle on his left hand. To get fancy, Tom has ostiomylitis in his 3rd metacarpal and was immediately rushed into surgery on February 28th.

So now we’re coming up on a full week stay in the hospital, and when he finally gets discharged (hopefully) on Thursday, that will be an expensive, unpleasant week vacation. Thinking about the cost of surgery, antibiotics, anesthetics and delicious hospital food, MRI’s, blood tests, tissue samples, and all the like makes my head spin. To make matters worse, Tom is going to be on IV antibiotics all day, everyday for the next 6 weeks. Once his hand heals, they may have to reopen it to perform a bone graph to replace the bone that they removed from his knuckle. Physical therapy starts immediately.

We’re talking a long, and very expensive road to recovery here. Let’s keep in mind, Tom does NOT have health insurance. Yikes. I can’t even imagine what’s going through his head right now.

Adding insult to injury, Sheila died less than a week after this incident (RIP Sheila Bean). Maybe this was her way of saying “you’ll never forget me”, but whatever it was, is terrible all the same.

What We Need & What You Get

My goal here is to try and raise $3,000. Obviously this will barely put a dent in the debt but at least it’s SOMETHING. I mean, the IV antibiotics are $300 per bag, at 3 bags a day, for 6 weeks….woah. The point here is to show Tom that we CARE. He has selflessly labored through our rehearsals, writing sessions, recordings and temper-tantrums to better the music world. Have you ever heard of or enjoyed any of the following bands?

Diamond Lane, Cast of Kings, The Shrill, Bolt Action Thrill, Gun Metal Groove, The Marquee, Fire the Animal, Seventh Day, Raven Parade, Jonah Nimoy, Hollowshell, Brock Bentley??? (I’m certain I’m missing some here)

Well the common denominator here is Tom Chandler.

Beyond that, Tom is a FANTASTIC guitar player and a computer whiz -- Cubase, not ProTools....yet :) -- and to think that he may never function in the same capacity is terrifying. I can’t even imagine what he’s going through emotionally, let alone physically.

The Impact

In exchange for your patronage, there are a multitude of fun incentives that go beyond the satisfaction of helping out a friend in need. Everything from a simple high-five, a personal phone call and a pitcher of beer to a homemade breakfast or recording of your own song in a high-end recording studio. These are meant to be fun and light hearted as a sincere “thank you”! You gotta know that Tom will be gracious and happy that people actually care. 

Other Ways You Can Help

If we don’t reach the goal, that’s fine, every cent (after IndieGoGo takes their small percentage for facilitating the process), of the money will still go to Tom. If we can exceed the goal, then even better. I believe we can. I just didn’t want to throw up a huge number and have people feel intimidated. Every dollar counts. No joke. 

Infections, surgeries, hospital stays and lots of post-surgery rehab on the horizon, I want to do my duty as a friend to help any way I can. I encourage you to do the same. If you can’t contribute anything monetarily, that’s totally fine. We’re all broke. I get that. Just pass this page along and spread the word, if you’d be so kind. I know Tom would appreciate that. The fact of the matter is, his influence has impacted and shaped many of the bands you enjoy and see in Los Angeles and beyond, so let’s give a hand to the guy who’s given more than a few. If we all link up and do our part, we can alleviate some of the weight on his shoulders. Thanks for reading.