A friend of Canadian jazz vocalist Terra Hazelton has launched a GoFundMe campaign to provide her with financial support while she recovers from shoulder surgery.
Alisha Cottle launched the fundraiser to help pay for Hazelton’s living costs and medication following a “severe shoulder injury” last winter. After receiving a long-awaited surgery in Lethbridge, Alta., Hazelton will go without an income for eight weeks.
“As I stare down the reality of living alone, in a single-income household, with no access to EI, it’s terrifying to know that I won’t be able to earn an income for eight weeks while my body heals,” Hazelton wrote on Facebook. “As we all know, inflation is high, and just because we are down at times, [it] doesn’t mean our bills will pause for us. It’s a hard reality and it’s scary. However, knowing that I will not be saddled with an impossible medical bill, and that I have such beautiful friends that go out of their way to try and drum up some support for me, takes some of the fear and stress away.”
Born in British Columbia and raised mostly in Calgary, Hazelton is a singer, Genie-nominated actress and radio personality. She has since become a staple of the Toronto jazz scene, leading her own band, Terra Hazelton & Her Easy Answers as well as performing as a member of other notable ensembles including the Hogtown Syncopators, the Royal Jelly Orchestra and the Jivebombers. Hazelton has released two solo albums: 2004’s Anybody’s Baby and 2009’s Gimme Whatcha Got. She also once hosted her own radio program on JAZZ.FM91.
The GoFundMe campaign for Hazelton has a goal of $5,000.