Rockers Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are appealing to fans to donate money to help drummer Leah Shapiro cover the costs of her recent brain surgery.

The group cancelled a string of gigs earlier this month (Oct14) to allow Shapiro to undergo the operation after she was diagnosed with Chiari malformations, a condition which can put pressure on the brain and cause symptoms including headaches and depression.

She is now recovering from the surgery, and on Thursday (23Oct14), her bandmates launched a crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe.com to contribute to her mounting medical fees.

A message on the page reads: "Leah has a serious medical condition requiring brain surgery and months of recovery. Many of you have asked what you can do to help support her and help her get through this, and I think we should all put a dollar in the motorcycle helmet and pass it around... All donations will go towards Leah's surgery and recovery."

The Pass the Helmet for Leah fundraising effort had raised more than $15,000 (£9,375) of its $33,300 (£20,813) target as Wenn went to press.

Shapiro joined the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club in 2008, when she replaced founding member Nick Jago.