Finding the healing power of music and giving back
Derek Caine's story

Derek Caine never dreamed of recording an album, let alone three. Up until six years ago, he had never even played a musical instrument. That changed when a diagnosis of leukemia led him to the therapeutic, wailing blues of the harmonica, turning this businessman into an unexpected musician.

"After a seemingly mandatory period of feeling sorry for myself, I snapped out of the doom and gloom and started to enjoy every day. I retired and began to do all the things I had always wanted to do, but had never done, like learning to play the harmonica."

Derek had an old ten-hole harmonica that had been lying around his house for years. He had tried to blow into it a few times, but all that came out were some badly strung notes. He decided it was time to learn.

"It soon became more than just learning how to play. It was my way to escape the challenges of living with a treatable but incurable disease. When playing I was able to go to another place."

After playing for a year, a friend suggested he record an album.

"My immediate response was, ‘who in the world would want to listen to me play?’ Yet, I thought about it and decided to go ahead with the project, but to make it a fundraiser for leukemia patients."

A fundraiser for leukemia patients

Derek felt that, although a lot of funds were being raised for leukemia research, there wasn't a lot being done to help patients, especially those facing financial challenges as a result of their diagnosis. 

"Having been through the challenges of treatment I knew that you have enough to stress about,” he explains."So, I created the Little Derek Leukemia Fund."

With a fund in place, Derek got to work recording his album. He formed the Little Derek and the Haemo Blues Band and secured Charlie A'Court as a special guest. The first CD was produced and $20,000 was raised. Now, five years after Derek first put the shiny brass instrument to his lips, he has produced three CDS, including the recently released Blood Brothers, and held several concerts to raise a total of $140,000 for leukemia patients facing financial challenges at the QEII Health Sciences Centre.

"Derek's contributions have helped to bring comfort and offset expenses that are so often an added burden to patients and families as they face the Leukemia and cope with what is already a difficult journey," explains Janice Spencer, social worker at the QEII.

The fund has assisted patients with everything from covering the cost of bills that a patient can no longer afford to pay as a result of their illness to providing a patient with comfort items like a favourite milkshake.

Derek continues to raise funds for leukaemia patients at the QEII and has no plans to stop.

"It's such a great feeling to be able to put back into the community, which has so much for me in my business life. This is a living fund and money is being withdrawn on a regular basis, so it is very important to keep up the fundraising.”

That's why Derek is busy promoting Blood Brothers, which features the hit single -You Don't Understand - written by Derek about battling a life-changing illness. 

Derek's battle with leukemia is on hiatus as he celebrates four and a half years of being in remission, but he says he knows it will come back. 

"One day it will win and I will lose but until that day I revel in the joy of life and in my family, friends and, of course, music.” 

To order your copy of Blood Brothers, visit www.haemoblues.com. All proceeds support leukemia patients at the QEII.