As son battles cancer, London musician's guitar raffle raises thousands for charity

After three decades, a London musician is stepping back from touring to be with his 12-year-old son, who is battling brain cancer.

Trevor Lewington plays guitar and sings in the Celtic rock group Enter the Haggis, which performed their final shows in mid-March in Troy, N.Y.

The band's sound features bagpipes, a violin and trumpet, and it' been featured in films and on television, including a PBS special.

During the band's 18-show final tour in the U.S., Lewington says he decided to raffle off his first-ever guitar, a 1991 American Telecaster purchased at a Toronto pawn shop in the 90s, to raise money to fight paediatric brain cancer. 

After selling nearly $50,000 worth of raffle tickets to fans during the tour, the band held a draw on Mar. 25, and on Thursday, Lewington presented cheques of the proceeds to two London-based charities.

More than $35,000 was donated to the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, and more than $11,000 to Childcan.

"It's beyond the financial support. It's just knowing ... there's a community of people that are there," he said. Childcan has been particularly helpful for the family over the past year, he added.

"They're always reaching out to see how we're doing and trying to see whatever they can offer."

Jennifer Schmittlein of Massachusetts won the raffle, and gifted the guitar to her husband, Jeffrey.

The couple have become friends of the band over the years, and in January, took part in Camp Haggis, an annual winter getaway the band holds in Vermont.

At the camp, Jennifer approached Lewington, asking if she could buy one of his guitars for Jeffrey's birthday. Out of sheer coincidence, the couple also took home the raffle Telecaster.

"We bought one ticket, and out of the thousands of people that bought a lot of tickets, we got lucky," Jeffrey Schmittlein said. The two have followed the band for a long time, attending several shows during the final tour, he said.

Afternoon Drive7:47London musician donates proceeds from guitar sale to fight pediatric brain cancer

Trevor Lewington, a guitarist with the band Enter the Haggis has raffled off his first-ever guitar and raised $50,000 in the process, with proceeds going to pediatric brain cancer charities, as his own son battles the disease. Winners Jeffrey Schmittlein and his wife Jennifer are the lucky fans who took home the guitar.

After hearing the news about Lewington's son, "I said ... we have to help support Trevor in this project. This is amazing, and he's an amazing guy."

Enter the Haggis is known for playing New Year's shows every year at Iron Horse, a venue in Northampton not far from the couple's home. (Lewington proposed to his wife in the venue's green room during one of the annual shows.)

During a recent show in Maine, the band was asked to name their favourite place to play gigs. Jeffrey thought the answer would be Iron Horse, but instead, "they talked about so many places and so many people."

"It hit me, they know their fans' first names and who they are and what their life is like from so many other places," he said. Not only is the band musically creative and talented, but "they're also just nice people," he said.

Back home in London, Lewington says the family's perspective on life has changed since their son's cancer diagnosis, and spending quality time together is the main priority.

He says the raffle is a good news story in the midst of the political turmoil engulfing the two countries.

"We've had the pleasure of knowing so many wonderful people in the U.S. over the last 25 years of touring in the U.S." he said.

"In addition to raising some money and some awareness for this needy cause, it's really nice to be able to share a good news story."