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Benefit for Gary Hamelin Open Heart Surgery

Open heart surgery financial relief benefit for our friend and community pro musician, Gary Hamelin
insert_invitation Sat, Apr 1, 2017 6:00 PM (EDT)
location_on The Maximum Capacity, Chicopee, Massachusetts
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Map of The Maximum Capacity
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The Maximum Capacity
116 School St.
Chicopee, Massachusetts 01013
100% of money collected will be going to Gary
Doors open at 6 pm
Tickets will be $15 and include food and bands ($5 for kids)

Bands:
6:30 - 8:00 pm No Dice (Gary's dad, Phil Hamelin's band!)
8:15 - 10:00 pm Project 267
10:30 - 12:30 am Leather & Lace

Raffle donations apprecaited

Many have helped on gofundme but the goal has still not been reached and gofundme also takes close to 10% in total as well. We hope that this event can help reach the initial goal that was set.

Gary Hamelin is a life long musician and a dear friend to many... He's a father, a grandfather, a brother, a son, and a good man known for volunteering his time to those in need... Whether at a soup kitchen, or for the Boy's & Girls Clubteaching mechanical skills to groups of 8-10 yrs old boys by way of building remote control cars, or by inviting a stranger to lunch whom he met on a street that sought spare change, or even by keeping spare clothes in his car to give away should the need arise, Gary has always been a humble humanitarian that saw the need for service to others without recognition...

As a professional and well respected musician, Gary Hamelin has toured the East Coast with the reverent all original band Stare Down The Sun  which opened the shows for such acts as Rob ZombieEvenesience, Kitty, and Ra as well as there own sold-out headlining shows...  Garys solid professional musicianship and drive found him in such bands and shows as Linsey LaBelle , John Brandoli , Alternative Nation  (with Josh Enemy and Christopher Piquette), Flat On The Falcetos , Wild Heart - A Tribute To Stevie Nicks & Fleetwood Mac , Good To Be King - A Tribute To Tom Petty & The HeartbreakersPerfect Strangers , Fine Grind, Black Thorn, Myriad Eyes (opened for Kings X), and more... 

Gary discovered that he has what is called Mitral Valve Regurgitation : a condition in which the heart's mitral valve doesn't close tightly, which allows blood to flow backward in the heart... If regurgitation is severe enough, the heart may enlarge to maintain forward flow of blood, causing heart failure (when the heart does not pump enough blood to the body). After a second opinion and much consideration, it was deemed that Gary's condition is very severe and will require full surgery to replace the valve which will render Gary out of work for at least six weeks provided no coplications arise from recovery... then it's very light duty for up to six months...

At this time, pre-surgery, Gary has been selling most of his musical gear and tools to make ends meet... He owns his own house with a mortgage, utilities, and car that has already been a strain since his recent divorce, and, which, has not allowed him to build up any savings... Gary at this time is living pay check to pay check, and the anticipated time out of work may very well cost him his home... 
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Location

Map of The Maximum Capacity
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location_on
The Maximum Capacity
116 School St.
Chicopee, Massachusetts 01013