Concert proceeds to help local family out of bind

by Tori Norskog | March 19, 2010 | Montana Kaimin

When Mike Crow got rear-ended driving down Orange Street in December, he was hit by more than just a vehicle. The injuries he sustained would lead to him getting hit by a devastating onslaught of medical bills, which in turn led to an outpouring of generosity and support from the Missoula community.

On Friday, March 26, several of Missoula’s favorite local bands will be putting on a benefit concert, “Rock the Mic for Mike,” at the Wilma Theatre to raise money for the Crow family as it struggles to pay medical costs for the treatment Mike needs.

Mike, 40, has lived in Missoula for the past 11 years and worked for a local company installing heating and cooling in low-income households. He enjoys the outdoors, barbecuing on the weekends with friends and spending time with his 10-year-old son, Ben.

“Ben is his world,” Mike’s wife, Renee, said.

Local musician David Boone, a friend of the Crows, is one of the event’s organizers. When Boone and his wife heard about the accident, they came to the Crows with an idea the family could not pass up.

“They’re amazing,” Renee said. “I’ve never known people like them before.”

Because of the wreck, which occurred a week before Christmas, Mike suffered a brain hemorrhage in his left temporal lobe that causes him to have speech problems and short-term memory loss. Renee said when she first got to the hospital to see Mike after the accident, he recognized her, but didn’t know her name or who she was.

Over the past couple of months, Renee said Mike’s recovery has been hard to notice on a day-to-day basis — but it’s been a little easier on a month-to-month basis.

“The thing about a brain injury is that it takes about a year to recover from,” Renee said. “It’s a slow, continual process.”

Boone said they were unable to see Mike for the first month after the accident because the stimulation was too much for him. A punk rock fanatic, Mike cannot listen to music anymore because it gives him severe headaches. Because of this pain, Mike has left the house only once since the accident, and that was to visit the Boones.

Aside from the physical pain, the biggest problem that came with Mike’s brain injury is that he is now unemployable. Being cut down to a single-income household, along with not having health insurance, has made the medical costs very difficult to handle. Boone finds it sad that health insurance in the United States has become so unaffordable.

“It is a shame that a society would not have a principle ideal that their citizens should be healthy.” Boone said. “We should start with having healthy citizens before a vibrant economy.”

While it has been a difficult past couple of months for the Crows, Renee said she is very grateful to the Missoula community for pulling together to help her family in its time of need. However, she’s very surprised by all the attention they’ve received and how supportive Missoula has been.

“We’re usually pretty private, quiet people, so to have the spotlight on us is really odd,” Renee said.

Renee, Ben and other members of the family will be present at the concert. Renee said Mike will try to attend, but he likely will not be able to stay for long because he can’t be around that much stimulation.

The concert, presented by David Boone, MissoulaEvents.net and The Trail 103.3, will feature bands “Wartime Blues,” “Places,” “Secret Powers,” and “David Boone & the Mercenaries.”

Doors will open at 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at Rockin’ Rudy’s and Ear Candy for $10 and will be $12 at the door. All the services for this event have been donated, from promotional posters to the use of the Wilma Theatre, to the bands playing, so all of the proceeds will go to Mike and his family.

Boone said that when he asked the owner of the Wilma if they could use the theater for the event, the owner said in a deadpan professional tone, “Well David, hell yes.”

“Everyone is giving of what they can do,” Boone said.  “It is a sacrifice. It speaks highly of everyone.”

The money the concert raises will go toward further tests Mike needs to undergo, along with ongoing therapy, visits to the doctor and previous bills.

Boone hopes there will be a huge turnout to support the family.

“They are everyone’s neighbors and everyone’s friends,” he said. “That’s what makes them so special.”

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