A dollar doesn’t buy much these days. A can and a half of soda. A few bananas. Two candy bars. A couple stamps. A song on iTunes.

What if you heard that a dollar could buy a whole album? That it could buy a family freedom from debt? That it could pay for a legacy?

Katie Reider, a singer-songwriter younger than my brother, found out last year that she had a non-cancerous facial tumor. She underwent radiation and chemo. She lost her teeth and the sight in her left eye. She had to give up her performing career and ultimately lost her ability not only to sing but also to talk — even to her two beloved young children.

Her friends wanted to help and they came up with the idea of selling a nine-song album on the internet for a dollar a download with the idea that the proceeds could help with Katie’s medical expenses. They launched the site on Katie’s 30th birthday back in May.

A month ago they had the good news that the tumor was shrinking. Unfortunately, while the tumor eventually came out, it had already caused too much damage. Two weeks ago Katie died en route to the hospital.

I downloaded her album earlier this evening. It’s beautiful.

If life were fair, I would be writing about how I heard this great new artist named Katie Reider at the emerging artist showcase at Falcon Ridge last week. If life were fair, I’d be hoping to see her when she played the Birchmere or the Black Cat. If life were fair…

Since life isn’t fair, all I can do is share the link to her album and suggest that this would be a really good use of a dollar.

Katie’s family gets money to help pay for her funeral expenses. Katie gets a posthumous legacy. We each get a haunting album.

Can you think of a better use of a dollar?