J. Robbins is an incredibly talented man—he was in Government Issue, Burning Airlines, and (one of my personal favorites) Jawbox. As a producer, he’s worked with bands like the Dismemberment Plan, the Promise Ring, Jets to Brazil, Against Me!, and many others. He also recorded the yet-to-be-released full-length for local Big Shots, Speaker Speaker. He’s hilarious, generous, and wicked talented.

He’s also a dad—on January 27, 2006, Robbins and his wife Janet had their first child, Callum. He’s adorable, he looks just like J. In a heartbreaking twist of fate, though, this past September Callum was diagnosed with a genetic motor neuron disease called Type 1 SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy). Type 1 SMA is usually fatal. It affects the brain’s ability to communicate with the voluntary mucles that are used for crawling, walking, breathing, and swallowing.

Most Type 1 babies will die before their second birthday. Those infants who survive into childhood are in for a long road of occupational therapy, wheelchairs, and assistive devices. Despite years of work on its treatment and “ongoing promising research,” it has no cure.

Friend and former-Jawbox bandmate Kim Coletta has posted more information about the disease on Desoto Records’ website. She’s also set up a Pay Pal account for those who’d like to help the family pay for Cal’s treaments.

Allopathic (“conventional”) doctors, while energetically engaged in research into this condition, can offer no cure for Callum. There may be some hope — even if only for a better quality of life — in alternative routes and therapies. These, of course, are not covered by health insurance.

We at DeSoto feel that we owe it to J., Janet, and Callum to explore any and every avenue that might help their little boy. Pursuing alternative treatments will very plausibly bankrupt them.

Our hope is that people whose lives J., Janet, and Cal have touched - with their music, their friendship, their work in the independent music community - can help. Every dollar you give will provide Cal support to pursue treatment for this terrible disease. Perhaps more important, it will provide J., Janet, and Cal some of the hope they need to play out this horribly unfair hand life has dealt them.

To read more about Cal, SMA, or to make donations, please visit www.desotorecords.com.