A crowdfunder for “24 hour nursing care” of Optimo‘s legendary JD Twitch has now passed £90,000 in donations.
The Scottish DJ (real name Keith McIvor) announced he had been diagnosed with an “untreatable” brain tumour earlier this month, adding that “my symptoms weren’t immediately diagnosed, and my health declined very quickly over just a few weeks.”
Then, on Tuesday (July 15), McIvor’s wife posted on Optimo’s account sharing a link to a crowdfunder for the beloved DJ. The crowdfunder explains that McIvor requires “24-hour nursing care”, with the tumour having “affected his speech, his mobility and his independence”.
So far, the likes of Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos and Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite have paid tribute to the DJ when the fundraiser launched.
The donations will go towards fees for private residential nursing care, where McIvor is currently residing, additional support including various therapies that have limited access through the NHS, along transport and palliative care essentials – you can donate to the crowdfunder here.
You can also buy tickets to Optimo’s fundraiser event for McIvor featuring DJs from the Optimo label at Queens Park Arena, Glasgow, on July 20 here.
At the time of writing, the crowdfunder has surpassed its original goal of £50,000 and is now over £90,000 in donations. The crowdfunder has stipulated any money over the donation goal will be split between various charities including Glasgow NW Foodbank, the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights, Brainstrust, and Crete’s Taki’s dog shelter.
Currently, though McIvor’s condition is “extremely serious” and “likely to progress quickly”, the crowdfunder has said he is “not currently in pain, can communicate well with patience, and is still present as the Keith we know and love. He can now connect to those most important to him in a better environment – with a determined group of friends and family around him, ready to do whatever we can to help him with what he wants and needs.”
It concluded: “Keith thanks you for all of your kind words and support, and we’ll continue to strive to do the very best for him at every stage, as he moves forward in his journey.”
