What We Do

Founded in Northern California, our mission is to help families with rare bleeding disorders who are in need. The way we plan to make this happen is through music! While combining our passion for music and the bleeding disorder community we are making the dream of helping others while having fun a reality! Thus was born “Music For The Cause."

- Bob Seaton and Elizabeth Seaton Schauermann

Founders

 I will let the words of my Aunt Tara express why Music For The Cause will continue on. My Father was my hero and his sudden passing has changed my heart forever.

"We lost another incredible soul from our lives. Life can change in a minute. My sweet brother-in-law, Bob, died from a hemorrhage due to hypertension causing a severe brain bleed. Here is my story of my dynamic, funny, and passionate brother-in-law, Bob.... 

Once upon a time, there was a guy named Bob, Uncle Bob, Bobby, Robert, Senator Seaton, BBQ Bob, one-eyed captain, Mr. First in line at every buffet, and most notably, the Guitar man, ...

He was born with a rare blood disorder, hemophilia, at a time when the condition was not understood very well. He outlived all the odds placed against him!! The doctors told his parents they could either put him in a bubble or let him live like a normal kid but he would not likely live long-- but he'll be happy. So they let him live. 70 years later and our favorite guitar man has only now left the studio to join his favorite musicians in the sky. 

He lived a life better than most anyone we know. He never let the idea of his condition get in the way of the life he wanted to live and the things he wanted to do. He was quite remarkable in this way, actually in so many ways. He brought a smile to every gathering despite the aches and pains that came with a long life of internal bleeds. He reminded us all of how attitude and laughter can affect the quality of your life in the best of ways.  

Above all, Bob was a family man. His devotion and dedication to his lovely wife, Lynn (of almost 50 years!), and two girls was undeniable. He adored them all .... and then there are the grandchildren! The lights of his life. He was so happy and content in this family world.

Bob was a storyteller, or should I say a story maker upper.  He told so many tales it was hard to keep up with truth vs made-up embellishments. He liked to spin stories just to mess with people. It was his favorite pastime and he had some serious skills for telling tales. 

Once we went to a David Bowie concert with him and my sister-in-law, Lynn. We bought a poster which he decided to sign and give to his daughters as a special gift from Bowie.  It was a cherished possession for many years until the girls discovered the story behind it. They were about to sell it on eBay so he had to cough up the truth-- of course, enjoying every minute of their appalled reaction. Chris and I laughed and said if anyone should have known better it's those two. 

From the moment I met the family, Bob embraced me as a welcomed addition with lots of warnings of what I was in for! I was drawn to his fun, crazy, goofy (occasionally annoying) personality that had a way of lightening up all our family gatherings and almost any difficult situations.

An unforgettable moment was when Bob met my mother for the first time at our wedding. Sitting at the bar with a drink in hand, he offers to buy her a drink (which were free) They immediately hit it off. Both are quick-witted, clever, and amazing storytellers. He told her he was wearing depends so he didn't have to ever leave his bar seat to bother with the bathroom. Yes, he was kidding but my mom thought he was crazy. Haha Since then, they have spent years bantering with each other. He recently sent her an oversized picture of himself to make sure she wasn't lonely... which she sent back asking 'what will you do without yourself.'

We counted on Mr. First in line at every buffet to kick off our family meals. He had the digestion of a crocodile, he could eat more than people twice his size and not gain an ounce. He baffled us all!  (And made some of us quite jealous-yes, that would be me.) Buffets will never be the same without him. 

His passion for music was contagious and exceptionally fun.  We loved it when Bob showed up with his guitar. He had a very extensive repertoire of music favorites, but perhaps at the top of his list was the Beatles. If it was your birthday you were likely to get a call from him singing 🎶 'they say it's your birthday da da na na na na na. We're gonna have a good time 🎶 which was also a highlight to all our birthday celebrations. 

He could find a song for any situation. He played despite the pain in his elbows from years of internal bleeding that ruined the joints. Besides his family, playing guitar was his greatest passion and nothing kept him from it (besides a bad day of relentless pain.)

His love for music led him to co-found a music competition called Music for the Cause' with his daughter Elizabeth. The purpose was to give struggling artists a platform.... seeking the up-and-coming musicians looking to be found. It had a special focus within the hemophilia community. They successfully launched some amazing talent! And advanced awareness for this underserved Genetic disorder across the country. 

Julia, his other daughter, has two sons who have shared the life of hemophilia with him. He's one of the oldest living persons with hemophilia in the country. He didn't sit ideally. He successfully served on boards and actively pursued government changes to serve the hemophilia community and the medications that treat them. The industry is miles ahead of where it once was and he had much to do with it. 

He was a true inspiration to all.  He lived a great life and shared his joyful life with everyone he met.  

We are all so incredibly grateful for the gift of Bob and so sad for our loss. We will miss you, Bob, but so happy you are now living without pain and singing with the angels. 

We say farewell to our fearless Leader Of The Pack....

Til' we meet again you keep rockin' and we'll be listening."

Music for the Cause will never be the same without my Dad. His dreams were so big and his push is why we accomplished as much as we did. He was inspired to start this foundation because of my nephews and I was inspired because of him. As a family we will continue our annual BBQ Fundraiser "Get Your Grill On" in honor of the remarkable man that was my father,

 Robert Carithers Seaton Jr. was... a truly bright light in this world.

Living like Lawson…

Bleeding disorders are a group of conditions that result when the blood cannot clot properly. In normal clotting, platelets, a type of blood cell, stick together and form a plug at the site of an injured blood vessel. Proteins in the blood called clotting factors then interact to form a fibrin clot, essentially a gel plug, which holds the platelets in place and allows healing to occur at the site of the injury while preventing blood from escaping the blood vessel. While too much clotting can lead to conditions such as heart attacks and strokes, the inability to form clots can be very dangerous as well, as it can result in excessive bleeding. Bleeding can result from either too few or abnormal platelets, abnormal or low amounts of clotting proteins, or abnormal blood vessels.

Hemophilia is perhaps the most well-known inherited bleeding disorder, although it is relatively rare. Many more people are affected by Von Willebrand Disease the most common inherited bleeding disorder in America caused by clotting proteins. Von Willebrand disease can affect both males and females. Platelet disorders are the most common cause of bleeding disorder and are usually acquired rather than inherited.