The once healthy 14-year-old Ivy Howland was struck with a still undiagnosed illness in October 2008. She lives in Alaska, and has experimented with numerous doctors and many medicines. As her family’s patience wore thin with the doctors near their home, they came to Washington for the expertise found at Children’s Hospital.

MDs in Alaska blamed everything from her hormones, to her thyroid, to her mental state. Upon arrival at Children’s Hospital doctors almost immediate found a lesion on the girls brain. The cause of the lesion is still to be diagnosed, and the family is short on funds.

Ivy is on feeding tubes. She cannot stand on her own or healthily sustain weight. Before becoming ill she loved to record her own music with friends, and was very talented. Now three local musicians are stepping up to help since she no longer has the ability to play the music she loves.

Their band, Bracket Three, will put on a benefit concert at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7 at Bellevue’s Downtown Park.

Donations are welcome. Shirts and posters will be sold, but the event is free.

Bracket Three is a recently formed band led by Justin Anderson with help from Drew Symonds, and Caleb Kruse.

More information is available from Drew Symonds, 805-453-8028 or via e-mail at dsymonds@westmont.edu; or Marie Anderson, 206-713-9265 or via e-mail at mikandme@hotmail.com.