Help Keep Pat DiNizio Jamming

Jersey rocker Pat DiNizio of The Smithereens injured his arm in a fall at his Scotch Plains home. Being a self-employed musician doesn't give him adequate insurance, and a friend/fan of the band set up a Go Fund Me page to help.

Pat released a statement from The Smithereens official website:

I want to clarify and answer questions raised by some of you regarding the Go Fund Me page created by my big-hearted friend and major Smithereens fan Victor Erlanger. Victor called me many, many times before he finally persuaded me to let him move forward in putting up a Go Fund Me page to help defray the cost of my surgeries as well as the cost of the subsequent months and months of physical therapy needed to repair my damaged arm and hand. I resisted the Go Fund Me idea because I am wildly uncomfortable with the idea of asking anyone for help, adverse to making my personal physical and financial issues and problems public, and even more uncomfortable with the notion of being perceived as a charity case. I had a long conversation with Jimmy from the Smithereens and he assured me that there was no shame in any of this, so with much reservation, I gave Victor the green light.

I injured my right arm and hand severely in a slip on ice on our back porch here in Scotch Plains during the huge blizzard we had here two winters ago. I flew about six feet through the air and landed violently face first on my right arm on an ice bank. A few weeks later I slipped in the bathtub and my right elbow crashed into the side of the tub. The nerve damage took months to show up, but I am finally at the point where my right hand and arm have no strength whatsoever and are just about useless. Can’t write my name, can’t hold a pick or play guitar, can’t open bottles or cans, cannot eat properly, shave, drive a car safely, just about everything and anything requiring the use of my right hand and arm is affected. I need to play guitar in order to write songs, do shows, and earn a living. I mention these facts not for sympathy, but to explain to you clearly and honestly why Victor felt compelled to try to help me with the Go Fund Me page once he found out what was happening to me. I applied for affordable health care but missed the cut-off date and have to wait until next year to get coverage. My doctor told me that I had to have the surgeries immediately, and that if I waited too long the nerve damage would continue to spread, and that I might lose the use of my hand and arm. I’m not complaining and it is what it is, things happen. But that’s the story, I felt the need to explain and clarify my situation, and that’s where it’s at.

I've met Pat DiNizio a few times at various Hawk events, charity shows, full Smithereens concerts and small intimate acoustic gigs. He's a truly nice person, and music is his passion. You can help out at the Go Fund Me page.