Loose Leaf Notes

-The following first appeared in the May 14, 2015 issue of the Floyd Press and was a follow-up to THIS Press story.  

A Floyd community benefit to support seventeen-year-old Kyla Robbins and her mother, Mara Robbins, was an all around success.  Held at Dogtown Roadhouse on Thursday night, the evening of live music and silent auction activity was organized by friends to help raise money for Kyla’s medical expenses.

Kyla has been dealing with the symptoms of heart failure and will require ongoing medical support.  She recently underwent surgery at UVA Medical Center in Charlottsville to implant a cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in her chest. The defibrillator shocks her heart if it goes into ventricular fibrillation, but it does not treat her underlying heart disease, which could possibly result in her requiring a heart transplant.

“We needed the financial support,” said Kyla’s mother Mara, who was not able to work during the early months of Kyla’s medical ordeal.  But the fundraiser provided much more than financial support.  “I wanted it to fill Kyla’s heart in a way that medicine cannot, and I truly believe that it did.  I watched her smile more than I have seen her smile in months.”

One of the surprise highlights of the evening was a performance by Kari Kovick and her daughters, April and Maggie (one of Kyla’s best friends) Kovick. The mother and daughters sang the theme song to the TV series The Gilmore Girls to mother and daughter, Mara and Kyla.  The Gilmore Girls is a show about a single mother and daughter that has been a favorite of Kyla and Mara’s. The song, Where You Leave, was recorded for the show by the song’s author Carole King and her daughter.

The Roadhouse was packed for the celebration of music, art and community.  Other performing musicians were The Commons (a band which includes April and Maggie’s father Michael), Big Mama Joy, Luke and Abby and Neal Wyms. “I mostly hugged people,” said Robbins about the event. “There were so many people I saw but didn’t get to talk to.”

Robbins described the support for her and Kyla as “tangible” and a “testament to community.”  She spoke of the healing power of music and art and expressed gratefulness that she was able to relax and have fun at the benefit and that Kyla, who currently has a limited capacity for interaction, was able to participate.

“I want to thank all the people involved, especially Alan Graff, Carol Moates and Kim Kessler,” Robbins said. She explained that Graff conceived of and launched the benefit and that Moates (who has had a successful organ transplant) and Kessler organized the silent auction, which featured a generous selection of art and gift certificate donations from local artists and businesses.  – Colleen Redman

– Our World Tuesday