Regular readers of this space might remember this post from last year, about the son of J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines, Channels—pretty much my rock hero) and Janet Morgan, and his sad, rare medical condition, known as Type 1 Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Cal will never be able to walk, and in fact most babies with Type 1 SMA die before their 2nd birthdays. This, being about the life of a young boy with a potentially fatal genetic disease, isn’t the kind of story that just goes away on its own. He’s still alive, he still has SMA, and he and his parents are making the best that they can of the situation.

Since the news first came out almost a year ago, there have been several benefit shows all over the country: Dismemberment Plan reunited to play one, Shellac played one in Chicago, etc. Despite the efforts of some, Seattle still hasn’t gotten its shit together to help this family, which is kind of pissing me off. But forget that: I’m trying to stay positive.

The money raised from benefit shows and individual donations (you can donate here if you like) has helped J. and Janet to bring Callum to a place called Futures Unlimited in Columbus Mississippi for regular sessions of a therapy called CCDT (or Chronologically Controlled Developmental Therapy). This therapy is not covered by insurance, but has shown some very good results. The family has been keeping a blog about their life and Callum’s progress in treatment, which I highly recommend checking out. He seems to be doing well (saying such words as cuddle, airplane, park, “milk, book, and a-sleep,” “suck nose,” and buttered toast). In a few months he will be two. I do hope you’ll think about contributing to the family in any way you can, to help Cal to have a full life, and grow up to rock like his mom and dad.

Sorry to start the day on kind of a sad note, but I’ve been waiting for a soapbox like this for a while. So listen to Jawbox and donate to J. and Janet, or at least read their blog and check out the adorable photos of Cal. And if you are in a band that has a big draw in Seattle and want to play a benefit show, let me know.