Life occasionally puts one or two rocks in the road, and of course, I had mine. In the spring of 1970, while getting warmed up for the final round of the Northwest Regional Fiddle contest, I went to close a window in the practice room. Holding my fiddle and bow in my right hand, I pushed on the window with my left. Instead of pushing on the metal sash, I put my hand on the glass and it gave way. My hand went through the breaking window and got badly cut. I had over 30 stitches in my left hand and couldn’t play for 2 months. I was extremely lucky that I didn’t sever any tendons or muscles and have suffered no long term ill effects.

Then a couple of years later, one week before my 18th birthday, my life was drastically changed when I had my first generalized clonic-tonic (grand mal) seizure. It was a very scary time for both me and my parents. Although seizure conditions can be serious, varying widely in cause, severity, and duration, I was lucky that mine was not extreme. No external cause exists for my seizures – it’s just how my body is wired. While my seizure condition is now under control with the help of medication, it has impacted my life significantly and, particularly during those early years, was a major factor in the direction of my musical career.

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