"DO WHATCHA GOTTA DO!" David Cook, Contestant with a Heart

I found an article today written April 3rd, put out by Star Magazine about David Cook. He's been wearing an orange band on his wrist during the shows and I had erroneously thought it was for his brother suffering from brain cancer.

It seems this orange plastic band that Cook has been seen wearing is a token of friendship and support for one of his special fans. Her name is Lindsey Rose Belcher, she's all of seven years old, and has been fighting leukemia since last Christmas. This touches me; I lost a child several years ago to that cancer. She wasn't my biological child but she might of well have been. Erin was just a dozen years old when she left us. My heart goes out to Lindsey Rose and her family, I hope that she is one of the lucky ones and wins this battle.

It seems dear little Lindsey's Dad, Charley Belcher met David Cook while he was in Los Angeles covering American Idol for Fox WTVT, Channel 13, Tampa, Florida. Mr. Belcher told Cook that he was daughter Lindsey's favorite of the Idols and mentioned his daughter's condition. David Cook wanted to immediately call the little girl.

The article then reads,

"To support his little girl, Charley had wristbands made up in orange — Lindsey's favorite color — for their friends and family, with her name printed on one side and "Do Whatcha Gotta Do" on the other.

"Lindsey was in the hospital early on, and I was sad when I had to leave her to go back to work," he says. "She cheerfully told me, 'Do whatcha gotta do, Daddy' — and that phrase just stayed with me.

"David asked me if he could have one of the wristbands. I gave him an extra I had with me, and he said, 'Tell Lindsey Rose to look for it on American Idol!'"

Lindsey was camped in front of the TV for Idol on March 11 — and there was David, sporting her wristband! "She yelled, 'He wore it, Daddy, he wore it!' She was dancing around and jumping up and down!" Charley tells Star. "He's worn it every week since, and my daughter gets just as excited each time.

"What David has done is a small gesture that means the world to a little girl who can forget she has cancer for a little while — and that’s what it’s all about."

Obviously David Cook can empathize with the Belcher family with his own brother struggling with cancer. Thing is, Cook took it a step further. He could have simply said something to the effect that he was sorry to hear that, or he could have told Charley Belcher to tell his daughter 'hello'. David Cook took this best step forward, and called the little girl, and now wears her orange band on his arm to show his support. In cancer sometimes healing comes from the mind, or so the physicians tell us. Perhaps this a boost for the little girl that might help make the treatments, the illness a little more bearable.

I don't often fall into the trap of hard luck tales to make me a fan of someone. I believe in actions, more so than even words as evidence of heart and of soul. David Cook is one of the good guys, he possesses heart and soul, turning words into action. That's a form of truth, a form of honesty. It's been a critical point held over David throughout much of this competition that he's 'borrowed' other artists' arrangements of songs. He's also owned up to doing just that. Considering on American Idol the contestants have about a week to select a song from an approved listing, I give the guy kudos for taking the time to locate arrangements that fit him, his genre. Certainly I wouldn't expect him each week to have the time to completely recreate a song during those few days granted for rehearsals prior to show time.

He might not be my absolute favorite in this competition, but I'd not mind it if he won. This tune one of his best, he has a lovely voice. Check the orange wrist band.
"Always Be My Baby" David Cook, video c/o kimpee31

You can buy Cook's mp.3's out on Amazon right now: