Metalheads Raise Money For Ill Baby

Wausau, Wisconsin's Wausau Daily Herald reports: When eight area heavy metal/punk/rock bands from north central Wisconsin performed as part of a fundraiser at Coral Lanes last weekend, they had hoped to raise about $1,000, maybe $1,500.

The bands were playing for 1-year-old Keyshon Ivey and his family. Born with short-gut syndrome, Keyshon has been in and out of hospitals since birth. More recently, he has been in Omaha to treat the syndrome. Doctors have been working at Nebraska Medical Center to prevent the need for a bowel transplant.

Keyshon is the son of Holly Mecikalski and her boyfriend, Randal Ivey. Mecikalski really isn't a fan of heavy metal music, but her brother, Nate Toschner, 30, is a guitarist for the Wausau chunk metal band ALL FEAR ASIDE.

When word got out in the metal community about Toschner's nephew, they banded together to do something about it. That's when the "Save Baby Keyshon" fundraiser took off. The lead organizer of the event was Aric "Sheek" Chil'-Cote. In addition to ALL FEAR ASIDE, the bands REPEATED TRAUMA, PREY ON HOPE, BEYOND THERAPY, X YOUR EYES, LOWER CLASS CITIZENS, SOLANUM PLAGUE and PONEY took the stage.

It all went so much better than Sheek and others had imagined. They raised about $3,100 to help offset medical costs and to help pay living expenses for the family.

Source: Blabbermouth