Friend Brad Kopp and Chris Daniels
Chris Daniels on Fb, 7/04/20: July 5th marks the 10th anniversary of my receiving a bone marrow transplant via stem cells from my sister Jane. Diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in February 2010, this anniversary is a miracle – (I had a 5% to 25% shot at survival) and I want to thank Jane, my brother John and sister Marty, my son Cedar and his wife Filomena and my two granddaughters plus my extended family who made my survival possible.
It’s also a moment to thank Jennifer Marriott, Sister Delores, my cousin Patty (who lived in Houston and helped), Brad and Lorrie, Sam Bush and Sam Broussard, all my band mates, professor Judy Coe and her amazing efforts to help me keep my job (I taught from my hospital bed via Skype) and all my students at CU Denver who kept me going.
There were three doctors who saved my life, Dr. Brunvand, Dr. O’Brien and Dr. Kebriaei – and the countless – totally amazing nurses when I was too sick to help myself. And last but not least all my incredible friends and folks on Facebook who sent notes of hope and love and prayers. THANK YOU ONE AND ALL!! Because of you I was given the gift of life and I hope I proved worthy of that gift.
I got to see Mena born and grow into a wonderful young lady of 9, Ila grow and blossom reaching her teenage years, be honored to win two excellence in teaching awards, be a co-nominee for a Grammy, be in (and help facilitate) an award winning music documentary, put out 3 albums and produce two others, be inducted into the CMHOF [Colorado Music Hall of Fame] and help countless music and music business students get their start. And in the past two years I’ve helped everybody from Otis Taylor and Zephyr to KBCO get inducted into the Hall of Fame.
But most of all – I got to live. I was the lucky recipient of so much love and care.
I just want to acknowledge all the blessings in my life – Cedar and his family, my brother and sisters, Vera and Sam Ptak, my fellow band-mates – the incredible Freddi Gowdy, Mark Oblinger and Linda Lawson, my pals Paul and Greg, John March, everybody in Magic Music and the MM family, Lee and Fleur and the whole film crew, Sam Bush, Telluride Bluegrass, Hazel Miller Erica Brown, Harry Tuft and the Swallow Hill family, Chuck, Scott and Paul and the folks at the Colorado Music Hall of Fame and so many more – I know
I am forgetting to thank so many folks – and basics like my gratitude at just the simple joy of living in Colorado. Thank you does not begin to cover it. Be well, we will get through these impossibly difficult times, big virtual hugs CD