BUFFALO BENEFIT GREAT SUCCESSOn Sunday, July 6th, Ray Hangen and his wife, Gabrielle, organized a wonderful tribute to Sean to benefit the Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research. Sean had a strong connection to the Buffalo Music Community which began when Ray Hangen became his drummer after the self-titled CD, Sean Costello. Indicative of the kindness of Ray and his family was the fact that whenever Sean stayed in Buffalo, he was given Gabrielle's mother's home to use as his own. I often talked to Sean as he was driving over to Ray's to hang out or have dinner with them and their 3 children: Michaela, Jacob and Grace. Sean was absorbed into their family and came home with crayon drawings of "The Band" and many tales of how wonderful the kids were and how much he enjoyed them. Here, he had a second home.Glenn and I went to Buffalo for the benefit despite reservations on my part about being able to socialize and keep from crying to the detriment of the event. I should not have worried. Gabrielle works 3 days a week, has three children ages 6, 8 and 10, and had just moved the family into their new home 1 and ½ weeks prior to the benefit. Despite these responsibilities, she welcomed us into her home and gave up their room. She organized everything from professional posters, to raffles and food sales. She awoke at 6:30 AM and made fruit kabobs, placed table cloths, arranged the club, etc (with the help of Michaela, Jake, and Grace). She then worked the door from 1 PM until almost 11PM.Ray recruited and organized all of the performances and filled in as drummer for almost the entire day. Given that he has been too distraught to listen to Sean's last CD, We Can Get Together, on which he plays, this was a commitment of pure love for Sean. The sentiments of the Hangen family are apparent on the beautiful poster, where they refer to Sean as their friend and brother. The way that Ray and Gabrielle and their family love Sean is such a tribute to him, that as a mother, I was never more proud or touched.The day was very warm for Buffalo, and despite the heat, each of the bands played their hearts out. There were so many bands that wanted to play, they were limited to 15 minute sets, and still they came and played. I have never been to Buffalo before. I knew that Sean loved Ray and his family. I can now honestly say that I love them, too. Most of the bands were from Buffalo, and they included:Jack CivilettoAllen St. Jazz BandAcid Funk Duo, featuring Ron Davis and Ray HangenMr. ConradBass Reeves & The OutfitThe Allison Pipitone BandMark Winsick BandThe Blues HoundsScott CableDave Gross with Gina SiciliaThat Buffalo has a wealth of talent is evidenced by Sean's choice of musicians in the past few years and was demonstrated to me Sunday. In addition to the talent and generosity of the musicians, many of whom stayed the whole day and contributed generously to the Fund, were the Blues fans of Buffalo. Each person I met was nicer than the next and conveyed a love for Sean the person as well as Sean's talent. I want to thank Scott Cable who came all the way from North Carolina and was there all day, adding guitar to whomever needed him. A special acknowledgment goes to Gina Sicilia and Dave Gross who drove all the way from DC to participate on Sean's behalf, arriving late in the evening and putting their heart and soul into their performance. They are obviously talented young blues performers; however, their kind and generous spirits magnified the impact of their performance. Sean was similar in nature and would wish them, as I do, all the best with their careers. All they need is a little luck; talent, looks, personality and work ethic are already apparent.I cannot thank Ray and Gabrielle enough for the way in which they honored Sean. There are no words to convey how I appreciated their love and caring for Sean and now his legacy. As his mother, I always worried about him when he was on the road. I now know that I had nothing to worry about when he was in Buffalo and I do not doubt that they will keep his memory alive in their hearts. I can ask for no greater gift. Monetarily, the event was a great success, donating as much to the fund as a Blues Festival earlier this spring. Greater than that, to me, is the love they shared with me for Sean. We will never forget Buffalo and the Hangen family, as Sean never did. They will live in our hearts right next to Sean. We hope to use their endeavor to increase our knowledge of Bipolar Disorder and improve outcomes of treatment so that no other Mother has to lose her son through this disease. Sean was a gifted musician, that I knew; however, I am beginning to see that his greatest gift were his friends in the Blues community. I hope to be able to return the gift in some way.