Hi everyone! Cristie Healey here!
It’s just over a week to go before our birthday celebration for Jeff, Jeff Healey: A 50th Celebration Friday May 27th at Massey Hall! With the obvious focus being on Jeff for what would have been his 50th birthday year, I’d like to touch on another topic that is a very important component to the show. World Eye Cancer Hope. The purpose of this show is to celebrate Jeff and the amazing person he was and to also support the research and treatment of Childhood Retinoblastoma. The same cancer that took Jeff’s sight as a child.
There are many things that made Jeff a great person. The obvious would be his undeniable and incredible talent as a musician and entertainer, but there was a lot more to Jeff Healey than the music. By all accounts Jeff was a regular person with passions and interests just like the rest of us. However, facing life’s struggles as they came, he dealt with them very differently than most people I know. Head on. By that I mean, after a brief time of collecting info and options, he usually took a running start at anything that stood out as an obstacle. Being blind had never been something to hold him back…unless of course he wanted to get a driver’s license and even then, he was known to drive speed boats, the occasional bus, a police car and yes…he even flew a plane.
With all of Jeff’s successes he never once forgot having to overcome struggles growing up in a sighted man’s world. So, he always gave back. Through countless efforts to raise awareness and support for the CNIB (the Canadian National Institute for the Blind), he participated in many fundraisers over the years. Also an avid reader, Jeff was a constant advocate for literacy. The amount of braille material in our home was a close second to his record collection.
Once he had children, his support for charity grew much more and he focused more on childhood cancer research. Jeff knew there was a 50% chance of his children being born with Retinoblastoma, the cancer that took his sight. This reality probably scared him more than anything else he had ever faced. His daughter Rachel was not born with Retinoblastoma, but he would not know she didn’t carry the genetic mutation he had until she reached the age of 7. Through tireless research, doctors were finally able to identify the mutation in Jeff’s blood and Rachel was in the clear. Our son Derek, was the other side of that 50% chance. During the ten year age gap between the children, a DNA test was created to detect the mutation in vitro. We knew Derek would be born with Retinoblastoma and it was only a matter of time before the tumors started showing up.
Luckily, Derek’s Retinoblastoma situation has had amazing success! Thanks to the incredible research, early detection developments and treatment options, he has grown from a baby with several tumors in both eyes to an 11 year old healthy boy with near perfect vision…and doesn’t even wear glasses.
While we are so incredibly grateful to all who helped with Derek’s treatment and all who have supported us, there are many children who have not been as lucky as he has. There will continue to be children with this disease who will go undetected around the world and even in Canada, without the availability of proper education. The research and education has made leaps and bounds just in the last decade and our family is living proof of that. Unfortunately, if the cancer is not caught, it will inevitably make its way to the brain and the child will not survive.
World Eye Cancer Hope has Chapters in Canada, the U.K., USA and a partnership with Kenya Childhood Cancer Trust. They became an official charity dedicated to Childhood Retinoblastoma research in 2005 when they were still known as Daisy’s Eye Cancer Fund (they rebranded their name to WeCHope in 2015). I myself have met many doctors from around the world who have come to train and specialize in Retinoblastoma. I have met them because they trained under Dr. Brenda Gallie as well as many other amazing doctors with the Retinoblastoma team at Sick Kids Hospital here in Toronto. The same team responsible for Derek’s healthy eyes today. Once the visiting doctors are fully educated, they take this knowledge home with them to give hope and treatment to children in their own countries.
ALL proceeds of this show will be donated to World Eye Cancer Hope (aka WeCHope). Our goal is to celebrate Jeff and to support a very great cause that will help children in our country and around the world. Every child who is diagnosed with Retinoblastoma deserves the chance to fight this with great success. That takes help though from everyone.
So please, join us to celebrate Jeff for what would have been his 50th birthday this year and support World Eye Cancer Hope and the wonderful work they do.
It’s going to be an incredible show and we hope to see you all there!
Cristie
We’ll be back again very soon with a fresh feature on more of the amazing talents that will be gracing the stage in celebration of Jeff Healey on May 27th! Stay tuned! Peace. ~Rog
Friday May 27th, at the legendary Massey Hall in Toronto – “Jeff Healey: A 50th Celebration”
Join us for an amazing night of music celebrating Canadian music icon, Jeff Healey in what would have been his 50th birthday year!
Featuring: Albert Lee, Sonny Landreth, Walter Trout, The Trews, Philip Sayce, The Jeff Healey Alumni Band, Special guests Shakura S’Aida, “Mr. Downchild” himself – Donnie Walsh, some very cool surprises and a KILLER House Band feat. Pat Rush, Stan Miczek, Jerome Godboo, Dean Glover, Chris Caddell… with all proceeds going to World Eye Cancer Hope!
Great seats still available! You can get yours from Ticketmaster, at Live Nation and at the Massey Hall/Roy Thompson Hall box office!
Wouldn’t miss this for the world 🙂
Wish I could be there. I know it will be awesome. All my love.
Very admired and missd Jaime Smith Norfolk not canada
Cristie I think of Jeff often and like the one picture taken of him with Buddy Miles about 15 miles from where I now sit. That show has inspired me to share Jeff’s music with many people as I actually will later on this morning with friends. I still feel a loss somehow remembering such a wonderful and inspirational person he was and still is and I absolutely shall never forget his over the top enthusiasm. I play his CD’s every day and still await the next underground back door live show to be offered and I’ll be ready to purchase it whenever it happens. God bless you and your wonderful family.
Cristie, I am so chuffed about this and yet another way Jeff’s life impacts the world outside of his great musical gift. I was gifted tickets and cannot go because I am gigging. Two very good friends will be going instead, 5 rows from the front, rocking out. He endures because he was special. I hope you guys have the best time ever. Take care and may all your blues be the musical kind.
Looking so forward to this. A great chance to see Jeff`s friends all together.
Hello
Really enjoyed listening and watching the late Jeff Healey sing and play his guitar.
I think he was a GREAT artist with a fantastic voice and one of the best guitar players ever
Wish he was still here..but grateful to be able to hear and watch his videos..
RIP Mr. Healey
So bummed I cannot go but hope all of you have a great night ! hoping many pics will be posted so those of us at home can enjoy the time you had!
We miss Jeff Healey:) We had a lot of great Thursday nights out at Healey’s!!! Including ringing in the New Year! Jeff attracted so many Fantastic musicians! Always guaranteed a wonderful, inspiring and memorable time!!!!!
My husband and I are looking forward to the Show on Friday May 27, 2016 at Old Massey Hall! My favourite venue for Live Music in Toronto!
Two more sleeps before the Big Show! I hope everyone has a great time!
We wish Cristie, Rachel and Derek continued Health and Happiness and a Awesome time at the show!!!!!
I will be there with my family….I wouldn’t be anywhere else! See you there Cristie and fam…xo Love, Kat.
Cristie,
Quick story.. My hubby and I are avid fans and lovers of all things Jeff..
He performed in kincardine Ontario a few years back.. Of course we were right against the stage, absorbing all things good, and when they finished the drummer handed me his sticks..
Later on we met Jeff’s sister, and I asked her if she would mind asking Jeff to sign the sticks.. I’ll never forget the look of confusion on her face, but away she went with the sticks.
I saw Jeff reacting to her request, and then I realized how much of a LUNATIC he must have thought I was..
You see, his blindness was something I ALWAYS forgot about when I was lucky enough to watch him live.. I realized how odd it sounded to ask for it, but not until AFTER I saw HIS reaction!!! Hahaha..
So now I have something that is so very valuable to me, for SO MANY REASONS, and they sit proudly in my china cabinet, with my favourite things…
I wish you and the kids lifelong happiness and all the best parts of Jeff in your daily memories and thoughts. Memories are YOURS, and can never be changed or taken away. Wise words from my mom when we lost my brother when I was 8… It’s so true..
Cristie jeff had a gift that all his fans loved and respected (especially this guy) just this morning I was playing a song I think jeff covered or was original,the song was “on the road again” I blasted it and said out loud rest in eternal peace jeff,he was one of my heros on guitar,in spite of him not being able to see the guitar I showed someone the video angel eyes on youtube and they were blown away by the fact he could play and sing,they said I’m speechless,I have no words right now as tears begain to well up in his eyes,he came back to me and said that video was tear jerking to know he lost his sight at a young age,I smiled and told him jeff didn’t look at the fact he was blind but he taught himself to play and sing really good,he didn’t look at his blindness as a bad thing,he looked at it as motivation to play guitar and sing in a band and live comfortably,I’ll never forget jeff and the music he made,rock out the heavens w eddie van halen,stevie ray Vaughan and countless other great musicians who have passed on,RIP jeff..