Matthew West Helps Raise $205K for St. Jude's
Matthew West's "One Last Christmas," inspired by a 2-year-old Leukemia patient, raised over $205,000 for St. Jude's Children's Hospital in one month, according to an announcement Saturday.
The Grammy nominated singer/songwriter was prompted to pen the song after hearing the story of young Dax Locke, who was not expected to make it to Christmas in 2009. Upon hearing the compelling news, Locke's neighbors were inspired to celebrate Christmas early by putting up their lights in Washington, Ill.
After spending some time in a cabin and reading people's personal letters as material for his album, The Story of Your Life, West noticed that a number of people had written about Dax's story telling him how the young boy had touched each one of their lives.
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Dax's mother recognized how her son's courage had touched so many people. She stated, "He touched so many lives in such a short time. He was a fighter until the end. He will be remembered forever in the hearts of all that loved him."
When he lost the battle to Leukemia on December 30, 2009, his family felt thankful for having St. Jude's Children's Hospital while Dax was still in treatment, so they decided to raise $1.6 million, the cost to run the hospital for one day.
In honor of Dax, West joined in the effort to raise money for the foundation by writing a song and holding a concert in the boy's hometown. The benefit concert, held on Dax's one-year anniversary since his death, reported to have sold out in 24 hours and raised $26,000 that night alone.
West posted on his personal blog, "December 30th, 2010, is a date that will stay in my memory for years to come. Last Thursday night was the culmination of an extraordinary sequence of events that have caused my life to intersect with a precious family, and an entire community."
He will have another performance for the Dax foundation in Paducah, Ky., on March 20.
After the success of his latest album The Story of Your Life, West is set to be on the road for a second season with special guest Josh Wilson, starting February 18.
On the Web: http://www.daxlocke.com/
