A video of a song written in honor of a young girl who died five years ago following sedation prior to routine dental treatment has become a YouTube sensation of sorts, growing from 4,000 hits on March 4 to 40,000 one day later.
 |
| Raven Blanco |
Raven Maria Blanco died in March 2007 after receiving 1300 mg of chloral hydrate and 30 mg of hydroxyzine prior to having her teeth cleaned and calcium deposits removed. An autopsy showed that 8-year-old Raven had a blood concentration of 24 mg/L of chloral hydrate -- three times the average range -- which the medical examiner considered lethal.
Two years later, her family founded the Raven Maria Blanco Foundation (RMBF) and has been working ever since to bring medical emergency awareness to the dental community.
The foundation's latest project began last June. After attending the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry's Annual Session in New York, NY, Raven's father Mario had a chance meeting with Grammy award-winning composer/producer Michael "Magnedo7" Crawford. After Mario shared Raven's story with him, Crawford said he was going to write a song in Raven's honor.
The result was "Guardian Angel -- Raven's Song." Working with Crawford and the Dream Little Dreamer organization -- which is dedicated to nurturing and enhancing the talents of children ages 3 to 21 through events and rewards -- RMBF recorded the song and is now offering it for sale via several music outlets, including iTunes.
Proceeds from the song will go to RMBF, which will in turn donate 25% of the earnings to a non-profit in support of the Dream Little Dreamer Foundation.
March 9 is the five-year anniversary of Raven's death.
