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Hailing from all over the United States, the R&B-inspired band Mantragold met on a gig in Los Angeles. Realizing that they were already linked through multiple mutual friends they felt an instant connection and started to make music together outside of that initial gig. Quickly, it was clear that what they were creating was synergistic and special. They knew they needed to take it to the next level and form a band. With credits that include background vocal work for Miley Cyrus and Don Henley, Finalist on NBC’s The Voice, drumming for Bobby McFerrin, and music placements on major TV networks ABC, CMT, MTV and Showtime, the band’s members all have impressive resumes of their own. Together, their combined musical prowess and desire for a better world result in powerful songs that share themes of love, healing, and unity. Comprised of Ayo Awosika, Brock Pollock, Lily Elise, Jeremy Lawrence, and Joe Conner, the band draws inspiration from fellow meditative R&B purveyors like
A neonatal intensive care unit. (Brad Greenlee/Flickr)
A birth gone horribly wrong left Jasmine Acebo with profound brain damage and a bleak future, one defined by wheelchairs, mechanical airways, feeding tubes, frequent hospitalizations, in-home nursing and constant pain.
Unable to work, her overwhelmed mother became dependent on food stamps and sometimes cash assistance. She watched helplessly when her newborn convulsed with seizures. She saw her daughter turn blue and nearly suffocate during a feeding.
A Florida program promised help: medical care, money for expenses a lifeline of support.
But that help, said Yamile “Jamie” Acebo, was often delayed, denied or deficient. And it included what she viewed as a shameful suggestion from a program administrator making a home visit: Would Acebo wish to place her daughter in an institution? The thought of Jasmine, surrounded by strangers and not the mother who loved her, was horrifying.
When Births Go Horribly Wrong, Florida Protects Doctors and Forces Families to Pay the Price propublica.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from propublica.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.