Matthew West » A Benefit for Dax

A Benefit for Dax
January 3, 2011 - Comments (24)

December 30th, 2010, is a date that will stay in my memory for years to come. Last Thursday night was the culmination of an extraordinary sequence of events that have caused my life to intersect with a precious family, and an entire community.
It all started with a story. Well, 3 stories, to be exact. When I was back in the cabin, I received 3 stories, each from different people in this small town of Washington, IL. Each story told me I should write a song telling the story of a little boy named Dax Locke. Well, by now, you all know what happened after that. I wrote “One Last Christmas,” a song that tells the story of this little boy who battled a rare form of Leukemia and died after just two short years of life. The song led to a music video that featured all home footage of the Locke family, Austin and Julie and their last weeks with their little boy. It told the story of how the whole community rallied together to give this little boy one last Christmas.
The video has been viewed online almost 1 million times, and donations for St. Jude have been accepted during this Christmas season in Dax’s name. Well, I traveled to this town of Washington, IL., last week for a special benefit concert on the one year anniversary of Dax’s passing. The tickets for this event sold out in less than twenty-four hours, and I could feel the energy in the theater as show time drew closer.
I got to meet Dax’s parents for the first time that day. It was such a special thing to see them face to face, and to share this special day with them. At the end of the night, I sang, “One Last Christmas.” Then, I asked Dax’s parents to speak. There was not a dry eye in the house, mine included. We shared a moment of silence for Dax, and closed the night by singing, “Save a Place for Me.”
Now, many of you have supported this cause by viewing the video, sending it on to your family and friends, or maybe even making a donation. So, I want to share the with you how much money has been raised by your efforts.
To date, $205,230 has been collected for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Dax’s name as a result of the song and the benefit!!! I am blown away! This almost doubles the total amount of what the Locke family has collected so far.
I just want to say THANK YOU for being a part of this cause; for stepping out and supporting a cause greater than ourselves. This experience has opened my eyes in a huge way. I get up on stage every night and sing the words to “My Own Little World,” and I feel challenged to live out what that song sings about. This benefit for Dax was the perfect way for one year to end, and a new one to begin; being reminded that life is bigger than us, and when we look outside of our own little world and help someone in need, that is where we will find our greatest fulfillment in life. God bless the Locke Family and the town of Washington, IL. God bless Dax. -mw

POSTED BY:
matthew

24 comments

1. Nora Kahal commented:

Mon 3/1/11, 7:57 pm

None of this would of been possible if it weren’t for you Matthew. You used your amazing talent and wrote this story and made it into a song! This is a sad story, but you took a sad song and made it an heartwarming story. You have that gift of taking other people’s stories and translating them into songs! Your incredibly talented. I hope to see you again in concert soon. Don’t forget that you are the best of the best and there are no other artist who can perform the way that you can, and sing the way that you can and write songs the way that you can!

2. christine hess commented:

Mon 3/1/11, 8:03 pm

Thank-you Matthew for doing such a remarkable thing for the Locke family, They are so lucky to have you to share Dax’s story and because of you and the song you wrote all that money was raised, unbelievable!!!! Praise to God for all he’s doing with you, You touch so many lives with your songs

3. Mary Rodene commented:

Mon 3/1/11, 8:14 pm

I am so proud to call Washington IL my home town. I really wish I would have been able to get tickets to the concert. I am wondering if the concert was taped and would be available for purchase? Thank you for using your God given talents to help others.

4. Karen commented:

Mon 3/1/11, 8:17 pm

Matthew, you are so amazing! Keep letting God shine through you as to inspire all of us to do the same! God Bless!

5. jenifer vanNess commented:

Mon 3/1/11, 9:44 pm

I think this is so awesome and matthew u have changed alot of things i my life as well and the way i look at life ur right life is to short and we should be very greatful for every day we have on god earth, Keep wirting and singing ur songs and music is gods blessing to us all and i’m very greatfull for it thank you and god bless you.

6. Eileen commented:

Tue 4/1/11, 10:49 am

You are an amazing servant of God with a gift that is being used for His glory. May your life be filled with many blessings, as you continue to bless others. Thank you for sharing your talent with us. <

7. Dianna commented:

Tue 4/1/11, 11:07 am

I was blessed to be at the concert and the meet and greet. Daxs’ story touched me deeply as I have a granddaughter with a genetic disorder called Trisomy 18. She has already outlived the prognosis by the drs and will be two in February. She wasn’t expected to live a week. I am so touched to have been a part of this special night for Julie and Austin.
Thank you and God Bless you!

8. Lisa commented:

Tue 4/1/11, 11:40 am

Matthew, I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to come to the concert last week with my family. My 7 year old daughter insisted that we had to go to the concert when she heard about it on WCIC. After hearing your song, seeing the video and hearing DAX’s parents speak on stage she is now a full-fledged DAX supporter and is telling everyone she can about how important it is to support St. Jude. Thanks to your gifts, your song, and your generosity you have blessed so many for God’s glory. I bought your new album that night and have not been able to stop listening to it since. It is amazing! Keep up the great work and keep using the wonderful talents that God has given you. You are reaching so many people and you ARE living outside your “Own Little World”. God Bless!

9. Angi commented:

Tue 4/1/11, 1:30 pm

As a long-time fan of you and WCIC, I had been blessed to see you in concert three times! I consider each event to be one of the most moving experiences in my life. Because of the excellent timing, I was able to bring my two teenage daughters, my sister, and her two teenage children to the concert. They are Christians, but do not follow Christian music. They lost their dad at age 45 to colon cancer two years ago at Christmas time. My sister’s son has had significant emotional issues since his dad’s death. This concert was able to reach him as no counselor has! We went out for ice cream after the concert and toasted our shakes to his dad, Dax, and MaryKate (? the little girl Julie talked about at the concert). Thank you for making a difference in all our lives!

10. Brent commented:

Tue 4/1/11, 2:28 pm

Matthew, just wanted share a great story about Dax & your influence. Just before school ended a few weeks ago for Christmas break, my 10yr old daughter’s choir group at school had a Christmas party. Each of them were allowed to sing a song, tell a story or do anything else they wanted to do in front of the whole group of about 50 kids. The kids sang regular Christmas songs and told what they liked to do for Christmas. However, when it was my daughter’s turn, she asked if anyone has heard of Matthew West and 2 kids raised their hands at this Christian school. Now don’t get discouraged Matthew, it does get better. She proceed to explain that you wrote this Christmas song about a little boy named Dax. She told everyone the story, then without any music, began to sing the song “One Last Christmas”. As she sung, she told us that there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Now I didn’t think she already knew the words after only listening to the song a few times in the car, but when she sang it for my wife and I, she had every verse to the tee. I started to tear up. After the song, she proceed to share that the Dax family was trying to raise money for the St. Jude hospital and you could donate online. A couple of kids came up to her later and said they were going to go share with their parents to donate. We just want to thank you for sharing Dax’s story to the world so we can all help Dax and others like him. Locke’s, you will always be in our prayers.

11. Marilyn commented:

Tue 4/1/11, 5:01 pm

Matthew, at the benefit, you met a couple whose baby (Austin) is having his own struggle in a hospital. Getting to talk w/ you and having you ask if you could pray for them was such an encouragement to them. (They posted it on their CaringBridge site.) Many of us have been praying for them for months, and it is such an encouragement to us to see God showing this wonderful couple His love through other believers. Thank you so much for your ministry!

12. matthew commented:

Tue 4/1/11, 10:49 pm

that is so great to hear. I will continue to pray for this family. Can you please send me their caring bridge site so I can check it out? thanks-mw

13. matthew commented:

Tue 4/1/11, 10:50 pm

wow, I am so blown away by your message. It is amazing to hear how God can be at work in so many ways all at the same time. I am so glad that the concert was an encouragement for your family. Thanks for supporting my music, and I hope to see you at another concert in the future-mw

14. John Randall commented:

Wed 5/1/11, 8:52 am

Matthew,
Your new cd “The Story of My Life”, has played an integrel part in my recovery from a recent fall back into my alcoholic addiction. I had 5 years sobriety on Mar. 17, 2010, but I put God in a box and started using the alcohol to help me with many physical pains. I had kept it a secret from my family and friends. But, a close friend, I had shut out,uncovered my lie, and I pulled God back into my heart. My urge and need to drink was instantly lifted by God. THIS was just a MIRACLE !!!! She used your songs to bring reality back into my life. She pointed out that MY SONG was “The Healing Has Begun”!!!
I had been isolating in my shame, I could not feel “anythng but shame”. – I “layed it down / what once was lost / has now been found./ Don’t be afraid to show them your beautiful scars” !!!
I have a story of addictions, a ruined marriage of 21 years, a recovery in support groups for 15 years, leading me to my church and my surrender to God and Jesus as my savior, my redeemer, my true Father.
Thank you Matthew, for being part of my new chapter in this life. I know that I am not of this world. I thank God that this is only temporary, but I do want to take this gift from God, my “beautiful scars” and help others with their recovery. That is my commitment to Jesus. I love your music and what is in your heart. John Randall

15. Angie commented:

Wed 5/1/11, 8:43 pm

Matthew- What a gift you are to all around you. Please come back and see us soon. The concert was amazing, just as Dax and his family are. Thank you so much and to your band, your wife and daughters for making time for our community.

16. Dave commented:

Fri 7/1/11, 9:20 am

Thank you for this song Matthew!! I’m sure Dax is in the arms of Jesus smiling right now.

17. Lisa commented:

Fri 7/1/11, 2:25 pm

I just saw your show at Reno Christian Fellowship. I was the one who showed up alone , no ticket; just with a smile and a prayer! I just watched Dax’s video. I am still crying so hard. My little girl Tatum was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at 12 weeks old. It is usually fatal by age 2. I fully believe we experienced 5 miracles. 1) At 4 weeks old, I brought her to the pediatrician because her left eye was drooping. He thought it was normal. I insisted it wasn’t and he said he could refer us to the pediatric opthamologist but it would take 6 months to get in. By a miracle, we had an appt. for my other daughter that Friday. 2) The opthamologist recommended 5 MRIS to be done under general anesthesia at age 12 weeks. The radiologist missed the tumor and misdiagnosed her. The pediatrician called me and said one of her blood work results was just slightly off, but he’d like a doctor from Oakland Children’s hospital to look at it that day. Miracle 3)The hematologist said she has a tumor on her left carotid and we were to be in Oakland by 9:00 the next morning for a bone scan. (500 miles away). They put her in surgery Feb. 15th. The cancer had spread to her lymph nodes, but God helped the surgeon remove the cancer .Miracle 4) The cancer was caught and acted upon so quickly, she did not need chemo or radition, but monthly cat scans under anestheia. Miracle 5) Due to being intubated so many times, her vocal cords were damaged. She could not even cry. 2 months later, God restored her voice. She is now three years old and won’t stop talking…My heart goes out to Dax’s family. There are no words to express my empathy for the loss of their precious boy. It is hard to understand why Dax’s family did get the miracle to save his life. These miracles brought me to God.I am gettting baptised on Jan 23rd at the Rock Church.Thank you, for your amazing gift to this family.

18. lynne atterberry commented:

Tue 11/1/11, 11:05 am

I was also at your concert in Washington, Il. and what a blessing it was to be there. The Locke family are are neighbors of our son and we have been interested in and praying for them for quite some time. It was truly wonderful for you to come and help them out. Thank you for sharing your gift of music. For too long I have been going through “The Motions” and your songs have helped me to again feel the passion inside of me. Blessings to you and your family, and please thank them for sharing you with the rest of us.

19. Jeff commented:

Fri 14/1/11, 9:35 am

I have been listening to your inspirational music for the last few years, and recently moved to Washington and jumped at the chance to see you in concert along with my wife and oldest daughter. Thank you for using your talents to highlight the Dax story and please keep up the good work. Your heart is in the right place, and you are making a difference. God bless

20. Beth commented:

Tue 25/1/11, 6:22 pm

It’s so incredible to see how God works through us, or in spite of us sometimes. I lost a two-year-old son myself in a tragic accident nearly ten years ago now, and as a principal of an elementary school (Washington Elementary coincidentally) I’m watching a beautiful young man’s life slip away this year due to cancer. Cancer is such a cruel and ruthless thing! It’s agonizing, but we too have seen such incredible kindnesses and community support in the past year and a half since his diagnosis. It’s overwhelming to me to think how often this story plays out across the globe, especially knowing first hand the devastion that the loss of a child brings. There a never moments when we are “glad” that tragedy has struck, even when we see the ways that God uses even the hard stuff for good. My student will not survive his cancer even through the best efforts of St. Jude’s. I’ve seen time and time again, however, that God never wastes a hurt. Beauty from ashes…He amazes me.

21. Stephanie commented:

Wed 26/1/11, 2:29 pm

I think it is absolutely amazing that you took the time out of your busy life to create such a heartfelt song to describe Dax’s story! The Locke family is inspirational to so many- I am a Student Council adviser in the town next to Washington and last year we started Hope Week to help their family accomplish their goal of raising enough money to run St. Jude for a day- we were able to raise over $8000 in one short week! The entire school of 500 students took part in the activities throughout the week and it was truly amazing! We are hoping to make this year bigger for their family- we are hoping to make this an entire community event. If there is any possible way I could get in touch with you to discuss some possibilities I would be ecstatic! My email address is browns@district140.org and I can’t wait to hear from you. Thank you sooo much!

22. Yer Gutierrez commented:

Tue 8/2/11, 12:46 pm

This song is so well written. I’ve shared it with almost everyone I know. This song has touched my life in so many ways. Thank you, Matthew!