Miranda Sound Reunited for Autism Benefit Show Friday in Columbus

It’s no secret that Miranda Sound are great friends of mine and they also double as one of my all time favorite Columbus bands. They’ll be reuniting Friday for a worthy cause. Here’s the words from Billy:

Last fall, some tough news landed in the Sefcik family’s lap – Sean and his wife Laura’s first child, Ava, a beautiful little red head with the brightest and biggest smile you’ve ever seen, was diagnosed with Autism.

Autism is a neurological disorder that traps kids: they struggle to communicate and interact with peers and parents – and they practice repetitive behavior. Autism is a “spectrum disorder” that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. Ava has been specifically diagnosed with Isodicentric 15, a chromosomal disorder that is the primary contributor to her autism. And it can’t be changed since it’s, well, her chromosomes.

The cause of these spectrum disorders are seemingly unknown and there is no magic cure. But research shows that diagnosing the disorder at an early age, followed by rehabilitative intervention and education, can help the individuals who are struck by this disorder to live extremely meaningful lives.

In many ways, Ava is actually a lucky kid. She is lucky because her father is one of the most solid, loyal and caring human beings that I have ever met. He is the model of what a friend and father should be. And Ava is lucky because her mother is extremely passionate, intelligent, proactive and focused to help Ava live a life of meaning. Together, Sean and Laura are the perfect team to help tackle this horrible foe that has attacked their kid.

As soon as Ava was diagnosed, the Sefciks began a tireless campaign to get Ava enrolled in programs and schools that would help her interact and communicate better – to spend time with professionals who understand how to help Ava unlock the shackles that are clouding her. And almost immediately, the intervention classes that Ava began attending started to pay off. The Sefciks have seen marked improvement in how Ava communicates and interacts with everyone. The future is genuinely bright. And the glimmer of hope has only reinforced Laura and Sean’s focus to help their beautiful daughter live a great life.

Without sidestepping into a political rant, all I will say is that our health care system in this country is an unfettered joke. And because the health care system fails American citizens like Sean and Laura so greatly, to ensure that Ava receives all of the intervention and education that is potentially available to her, the Sefciks have to ante up a large portion of the tuition and intervention costs out of their own pockets. These yearly bills rival what it typically costs a family to send their daughter or son to a private college. Ava is 3.5. The Sefciks have a long road ahead of them. Good friends of theirs, The Nothings, are caught in the same battle with their son Akaash.

We appreciate that some people miss seeing Miranda Sound. We know that some people greatly miss Kopaz. We know that a lot of folks are giddy as hell that Silo The Huskie is writing and playing again. So we are cashing in some rock & roll capital to help out the Sefciks and their good friends, The Nothings. All of the money we raise will go directly to Ava Sefcik and Akaash Nothing’s tuition bills. We’ve also asked DJ Nothing, Akaash’s dad to spin a dynamic set as well, which will feature an audio/visual extravaganza. Our old friend Clint Reno is also going to put together a limited edition poster to sell at the show, as well as host a silent auction of local Cbus artwork. It should be a phenomenal night. We’ll see you at Skully’s on August 6.

– Billy

PS: if you are interested in helping out but cannot make it to the show, please send me an email at Billy@mirandasound.com