The global hardcore community has rallied around Sick Of It All frontman Lou Koller following the revelation that doctors discovered a cancerous tumor in the singer's esophagus.
After Koller broke the news of his diagnosis in a social media post, to explain why the New York hardcore veterans has been forced to cancel scheduled European tour dates, his brother Pete, SOIA's guitarist, set up a GoFundMe campaign to help cover some of the costs of his cancer treatment and assist with living expenses while the group are off the road.
"As you know touring is the lifeline for a band like sick of it all," Pete Koller wrote, revealing that his brother has been diagnosed with adenocarcinoma cancer. "If you could help him it would be greatly appreciated."
In a reference to the lyrics of Sick Of It All's Good Lookin' Out, from their 1997 album, Built To Last, Koller ended his message with the line, "Good friends will always be there"!!
Already over $200,000 has been donated to the fundraiser, with fellow punks AFI, Rancid and Dropkick Murphys contributing $5000 apiece, and artists such as Snapcase and Hot Water Music also making generous donations.
Visit the GoFundMe here.
Lou Koller spoke about his diagnosis in a social media post at the weekend.
“They found a tumor in my esophagus that goes into my stomach, and I’ll have to be getting treatment all summer... of course, with full support of the band,” the singer said. “As soon as they heard it, they were, like, ‘Forget the tour. Just get healthy.’ We're not happy about it, seriously, but like I said, they’re all behind me staying home and us staying home.”
Koller went on to say that he feels sorry for SOIA fans, the band's promoters, and their crew - “we were going to have another fun summer together" - but signs off with the message, “I’ll hopefully beat this thing and see you at the end of the summer… or maybe the winter.”
