A day before his performance at the historic Uptown Theater in downtown Kansas City, Billy Brimblecom Jr. was already buzzing with energy. Drumming has never been just a hobby for him. It has always been his purpose.
That passion began when he was a child listening to “Wipe Out,” the iconic 1963 surf rock song by The Surfers. As the famous drum solo played on the car radio, Billy instinctively tapped along on the dashboard. His father noticed and encouraged him. In that moment, Billy knew the drums were his calling.
However, life would soon challenge his rhythm in unimaginable ways.
A Diagnosis That Changed Everything
Twenty years ago, doctors discovered a mass the size of a large apple in Billy’s ankle. The words that followed were devastating. If the mass was sarcoma, doctors would need to remove everything it touched. That could include his leg.
Sadly, it was cancer.
Billy endured 13 rounds of chemotherapy. Throughout the process, his greatest fear wasn’t death—it was losing his leg. When the inevitable happened, his leg was amputated above the knee. For a professional drummer, the loss felt overwhelming.
Yet, Billy refused to let cancer define his future.
Friendship That Became a Lifeline
During this difficult time, Billy’s bandmates and friends surrounded him with support. One of those friends was Jason Sudeikis, a fellow Kansas City native and later the star of Saturday Night Live and Ted Lasso.
The two had met years earlier at an improv workshop. Although Sudeikis didn’t always know what to say, he knew one thing for certain—he wanted to help.
When Billy learned that insurance would cover only half of the $60,000 cost of a prosthetic leg, Sudeikis sprang into action. He organized a Kansas City–style barbecue fundraiser. The event raised more than enough money to buy Billy a new leg.
But that was just the beginning.
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The Birth of Thundergong!
What started as a one-time fundraiser soon evolved into something much bigger. The annual event, now known as Thundergong!, became a music-filled jam session featuring actors, musicians, and comedians.
Over the years, performers such as Hanna Waddingham, Will Forte, Brendan Hunt, and even Flavor Flav joined in. They didn’t come for publicity. They came because they believed in the cause.
Most importantly, Thundergong! supports Steps of Faith, a nonprofit dedicated to helping amputees afford prosthetic limbs when insurance falls short.
Steps of Faith: Turning Pain Into Purpose
Billy eventually became the CEO of Steps of Faith after realizing how powerful hope could be. A short conversation with another amputee showed him how much encouragement matters.
Every day in the U.S., about 500 people lose a limb. Prosthetic costs can range from a few thousand dollars to more than $100,000. Unfortunately, insurance often fails to cover these expenses.
Steps of Faith has helped provide prosthetic limbs to more than 2,000 amputees nationwide, restoring mobility, confidence, and independence.
A Second Chance at Life
Josh Conner knows firsthand how life-changing that support can be. In 2015, he fell two stories from scaffolding at work. Severe injuries and infection eventually led to amputation.
The basic prosthetic his workers’ compensation covered allowed him to walk—but not to work. Facing permanent disability, Josh felt hopeless.
Then Billy and Steps of Faith stepped in.
With a custom-designed prosthetic, Josh returned to work and reclaimed his confidence. For him, it felt like a new life had begun.
A Movement Powered by Love
Each year, Thundergong! continues to grow. In its latest edition, the event raised more than $1 million for Steps of Faith.
At its heart, this story is about more than music or charity. It’s about friendship, community, and compassion. Friends helping friends eventually turned into strangers helping strangers.
As Billy Brimblecom Jr. proves, hope can be louder than hardship—and sometimes, it starts with a drumbeat.
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