Hell-o avid Avett Brothers fans....I am a fan of their music as well. In fact it seems everyone of the tracks on almost every album speaks to me in such a way that it seems to be playing the tracks of my life on a huge backrdop behind the music and I see the phases of my life play on that very backdrop like a movie right in front of my eyes and ears. I suppose that isnt unlike many of you who are their fans because you love the fact that someone, and our luck has it, the Avett Brothers, truly understand you and have laid it out in front of you and allow you to listen to the love and accountability of their songs and your love for those songs, and that at it's deepest root is.....love itself. Then when you realize how many people the Avett Brothers have touched already, you realize that you arent the only person who's life they are laying out in front of you. It makes you feel great to know we are not alone in our feelings, but can listen to the Avetts like they are still playing that movie about you only...on that big backdrop they can paint with just their very voices. As I hope that the next time you listen to "living of Love" through the eyes and ears of a family (father, mother, and a child) fighting leukemia....at that point you understand that the LOVE you had felt by listening to theirs songs for years, can give hope to a child facing this desease. and more over give hope to a child that wants everyone to help him fight this illness.....not for him, but for the millions of people this cancer will affect, years to come, but no longer with a negative tone......PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING I am from Indiana and started my profile on this page in June of this year. I am the Father of 4 boys ( ages 8,6,4,17 months) yes...all boys! On July 4th, my youngest son Brody was diagnosed with AML Leukemia. This type of leukemia is mostly found in older adults, and has a slightly lower survival rate than most other leukemias. As you can imagine my wife and I as well as our 4 childrens life has changed so dramatically. We were overwhelmed and scared. My wife and I, as parents, want to set the best example we can for our children, so have taken the stance that "our family is strong, we are strong, and the only way to face this is head on" type of attitude and we trust that "God never gives us more than what we can handle". My entire family has been lovers of music, and musically inclined, my whole life ( my sister still plays piano for the church I grew up in, in Geneva, Indiana, shelby county). I hack around on the guitar,piano,harmonica quite about even now. My son has been staying at the Riley Childrens Hospital for cancer in Indianapolis, Indiana since July 4th. They have started him on a chemotherapy treatment that will have us here(home some weeks) for 7 months.As a father who likes music, I brought my headphones in to his room the second night we were here. It obviously had an Avett Brothers cd inside, and I put them on my son, and he listens to many songs by the Avett Brothers every day. I have brought my guitar to the room and he now plays the harmonia while I am playing the guitar. It is the cutest thing in the world. Some of our friends and family suggested that we start a website at www.caringbridge.org to ease the pain of explainging what was going on with Brody on a daily basis, by starting a journal on that website in Brodys name. My wife and I done this, and it has simply been amazing at how many people, friends, family, church groups, even complete strangers write notes in my sons guestbook and read his daily journal. Some of those people have started local fundraisers in honor of Brody, which as a father, sometimes your pride wants to step in the way and say, thanks but no thanks. I finally came to be o.k. with our friends and family doing such for my family. I do not know what the future holds for my precious son, but what I have come to understand, that this one little 17 month old boy in less than 10 days has had over 1,000 people visit his website and check on him, and write him notes. My son has already in his short life shared so much love, and touched so many people that complete strangers comment on his journal entries(which include many times that he LOVES the avett brothers). On the fifth floor of the Riley Hospital for Children, is the cancer center where my sons stays. What is amazing to me is although my son has been diagnosed with AML the support that we have from our friends and neighbors has been more than we could have imagined. What my wife and I have realized in the midst of this overwhelming experience, is that even here, in this hospital, there are children, many in fact that seem to be worse off than my son, and family. Some that may not have the support system as we have been fortunate enough to have. Some, that I can tell in my heart, are facing much greater odds than my son. I have also realized that Riley Hospital with such renowned facilities and world class nurses and doctors is one of only few trying to take care of children diagnosed with Leukemia. I believe in my heart that with the vast gains in the leukemia medical field, my son will survive and live a normal life...i pray this every night. I also beleive , now more than ever, that a child diagnosed with leukemia will effect your life eventually, meaning you will know someone who suffers. I also beleive that my son, because of his pure strength and the grace of God can help raise awareness and raise hope that someday we will say leukemia in tha same way we say we have the flu today. It all is in awareness and research. We have a friend that has been taking pictures of our son, as he deals with AML on a daily basis. My son, as I told you earleir, is an Avett Brothers fan. My friend has put together these pictures in a collage, all set to the music of "living of love". It is beautiful! My wife and I would like to start a program on a nation wide scale to bring awareness and funds to help strive to find a cure for leukemia. We want to present our program to A.L.S. with the video tribute that we have/are created/creating. A fathers question is would the Avett Brothers let us use this song, to not only show the friends and people checking on Brody daily, but to also present this song as the "Tribute Song" for adloescent leukemia awareness and fundraising on a wroldwide scale? I am sure there are many different legal issues regarding, but honestly I didnt know if Seth or Scott ever read the post here. I was hoping that someone could answer. I have rambled long enough...thank you for allowing me to do so, and I hope i didnt upset anyone by my post. Always remember that the music...at its truest form.....is love. www.caringbridge.org click on "visit" type in brodystephens (all lower case, no spaces) Thanks again, Jason