A GoFundMe page has been created for bassist Juan Alderete, best known for his stints in the Mars Volta and with Marilyn Manson.
Alderete suffered a serious brain injury following a bike accident on January 13, which left him with a form of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) known as Diffuse Axonal Injury. He also suffered a fractured clavicle and spinal fracture.
“My friend and bandmate, Juan, needs our help. And our energy. Please give whenever you can,” Manson wrote in an Instagram post.
Mars Volta frontman Cedric Bixler-Zavala also took to Instagram to ask for help for his band mate:
“I’m sure most of you have read or heard about Juan,” Bixler-Zavala wrote. “He’s fighting for his life. I’m sure everyone has a bass player related story about him but to me he’s beyond that. If you can spare some time go to his IG page @j_alderete and click the link in his bio to read more and possibly see if u (sic) can help him out.
“There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about him. I’m not at liberty to share any other details w (sic) you out of respect for him and his immediate family. Keep his name on the tip of your tongue. Keep the thunder that is his bass playing on repeat on your stereos. Keep the lighthouse lit for him.”
Anne Alderete organized the GoFundMe page with a target goal of $250,000 to cover Juan’s extensive medical expenses. The amount raised is just over $110,000 as of February 6.
Anne explains on the page: “[A]s many of you fellow musicians and artists understand, there is no paid time off or sick time for this type of work. The journey Juan and his family are about to embark on is a marathon, not a sprint; it is a long road and we want to be able to tap some of the best and most passionate medical professionals who are experts on TBI patients and their potential for recovery.
“Physical, occupational and cognitive therapies are just some of what we'll need to pay for in the coming weeks and months. In-patient care and therapy, special medical equipment and assistance are other expenses we anticipate in the longer term. And while we help Juan focus on recovering, he will not be able to work but of course the goal is to get him back to playing music, and talking pedals on Pedals and Effects with his partner in crime, Nick. Because the world needs Juan on bass just as much as Juan needs to play bass.”
For more information or to pledge support, head to GoFundMe.
