Riley Green Among Country Artists to Support Benefit for the Brain
Riley Green, Jon Pardi, and Kassi Ashton join Drake White’s Benefit for the Brain. The event supports mental wellness for our military and veterans, brain health in children, as well…
Riley Green, Jon Pardi, and Kassi Ashton join Drake White’s Benefit for the Brain. The event supports mental wellness for our military and veterans, brain health in children, as well as creative approaches to stroke recovery and neurological treatment.
The annual event spawned from a life-threatening incident that Drake White experienced in 2019. While he was performing in Roanoke, Virginia, White didn’t feel right. He was about three or four songs into his set when he started forgetting the words to his song. He told BrainAndLife.org:
"... I felt like I was about to drop the microphone out of my left hand. And my left foot felt like it had a bowling ball on the end of it. Then my left shoulder felt like an elephant was sitting on its side. And then my face felt like it was drooping, and I was like, "Man, I'm having..." I knew. I said, "I'm having a stroke. This thing's ruptured."
The thing that ruptured was his AVM or Arteriovenous Malformation, a tangle of arteries and veins in his brain. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, AVMs grow and change over time. They are often organized in a staging system (below), though not all AVMs go through each stage:
- Stage I (quiescence): The AVM is "quiet." The skin on top of the AVM may be warm and pink or red.
- Stage II (expansion): The AVM gets larger. A pulse can be felt or heard in the AVM.
- Stage III (destruction): The AVM causes pain, bleeding or ulcers.
- Stage IV (decompensation): Heart failure occurs.
Luckily for White, his team had a packet ready to explain to EMTs exactly what was going on, so they were able to rush him to the hospital for necessary treatment. Doctors got to him in time, and the "Makin Me Look Good Again" singer turned his experience into a mission to raise funds and awareness for brain and mental health. He pulled together some friends and supporters for the Benefit for the Brain, a Night Dedicated to the Battle Between Your Ears. Proceeds are funneled to mental health initiatives in three different pillars: military, children, and treatment.
This year’s lineup includes White as well as some of his famous country singing friends: Riley Green, Jon Pardi, and Kassi Ashton. The show will take place at the historic Ryman on Monday, November 17th at 7:30 pm. You can learn more here.
