Jeffrey Blattner

Location: Laguna Niguel, CA

Challenge: Multiple Sclerosis

Website: facebook.com/jeffrey.blattner

Jeffrey Blattner started playing drums when he was 8 years old. His first heroes growing up were Neil Peart, Peter Criss and Tommy Lee. Jeffrey played in in the marching band, the orchestra and the jazz band through all through his school years. Jeffrey adds "I grew up in the New York Metropolitan area in a town called Nanuet and so we had unprecedented access to musical resources if you will".

In 1985-86 Jeffrey's high school band director brought Dom Famularo into our school for a private seminar which he found to be a life changing experience. Jeffrey says "He opened my mind to looking at the drum kit in different ways and forever changed the way I approached the drums".

That led Jeffrey to start taking lessons at the famed Long Island Drum Center where he studied with Joe Franco and Rod Morgenstein.

Jeffrey adds "In my senior year of high school I won the Louie Armstrong Jazz award and I also made it to the finals of the Long Island Drum Centers Battle of the Beats in the Rock division".

After high school Jeffrey didn't continue his music education but drums and music would always be his passion. He adds "I played in a few cover bands along the way but then I went on to become an advertising executive and start a family, always keeping a kit close by". In August of 2005 Jeffrey discovered that he had bladder cancer when a tumor ruptured in his bladder. Jeffrey recalls "I had tumors removed four times over the next two years and in 2008 had agreed to take some more aggressive treatments to keep the cancer at bay". Now years before that he had episodes of neurological disturbances, numbness, weakness, vision loss, and had been told he was fine. He adds "But in 2009 after I started to more significantly lose function of my left arm, leg and foot and a myriad of other issues I was finally diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis".

From growing up in New York, Jeffrey now lives in Southern California where my wife grew up, he has a 9 year old son and a 12 year old daughter who plays piano and cello in the orchestra and she had her first drum lesson a few weeks ago! Jeffrey adds "I am very active with the National MS Society here, I am a Support Group Leader and I lead a monthly support group for men with MS here in Orange County. The drums have become a great tool for me to use for both mental and physical therapy. My left side is affected like if I had a stroke so I don't get much out of it these days but it has been shown that by using your working limbs and trying that you can positively affect the damaged side. I also found other ways to help express myself musically with the Korg Wavedrum and their Kaossilator and Kaoss Pad and my Roland electric kit".

Jeffrey Blattner