Increased hope for Walter Trout!

Som tidligere skrevet kjemper den legendariske og unike blues rock gitaristen Walter Trout, (bl.a. kjent fra Canned Heat og John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers) om sitt livet etter at han på slutten av fjoråret ble akutt livstruende syk. Han har behov for levertransplantasjon i løpet av kort tid for å kunne overleve. For å lese mer om sykdomssituasjonen: trykk her >.

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Hans syksdomsforsikring dekker ikke kostnadene for å gjennomføre levertransplantasjonen. Det er derfor opprettet et eget hjelpefond for å smale inn penger slik at Walter Trout og hans familie kan makte å dekke de store kostandene som dette medfører. Artister, venner og fans har derfor i den anledning bidratt stor med å smale inn penger til dette fondet. Senest denne uken ble det gjennomført en egen hjelpekonsert av bandet The Royal Southern Brotherhood med venner. For å lese mer om dette: trykk her >

Walter Trouts kone Marie kjemper en beinhard kamp for å hjelpe sin mann. I California der Walter Trout er innlagt på sykeshus er det lang venteliste for å få donert organer. Denne uken klarte hun å få gjennomslag for å flytte Walter Trout til en til The University of Nebraska Medical Center i byen Omaha da staten Nebraske har adskillig mindre donor-kø. Dermed er det tent et nytt håp og økt positiv energi for Walter Trout og hans nærmeste. Hans kone Marie Trout kunne i går (torsdag) melde om følgende:

» It has been an eventful week so far! As you know, I have been working to improve Walter’s odds at being considered for a liver transplant. Certain regions in the USA are more challenging in this regard, and California is one such difficult region.

Well, Monday after continuing to apply pressure on various fronts, I finally got the financial clearance to get Walter evaluated at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. A few hours later, I had the clearance from Walter’s surgeon at UCLA for him to travel commercially if I got first class tickets for the front of the plane. And miraculously our amazing travel agent at Travel Leaders managed to secure two such tickets before the close of business Monday! Tuesday went with more phone calls than you can believe, and getting our home front with our two sons, who still live at home, ready for a possibly months long absence of both dad AND mom. If Walter is accepted after the evaluation in Nebraska, both Walter and I have to stay there until at least 4 – 6 weeks post-surgery – and possibly even longer. I found a person to live with our boys, and I cannot tell you how grateful I am for that. I will need to be long-distance mom, check homework assignments, and other parental functions from afar! But I need someone on the ground to help our kids stay centered, fed, transported, safe, etc. And this came together too!

Yesterday morning I got up at 3:30AM and left to pick up a friend to drive our car back – and we walked into Walter’s hospital room at UCLA at 5:30AM!!! Walter is typically on rock star schedule and not a happy camper early in the morning. But not this time! He was all smiles as we walked in, turned on all the light and announced that he was off to Nebraska! Walter had been in a hospital bed for 4 weeks, and even sitting up for short periods of time is challenging for him. So I was concerned that the trip with a layover and hours in an airplane seat would prove too much for him. But he did great! I took a picture of him in the airplane seat. And when I looked at it later I saw something in his eyes that I haven’t seen for a long time: Hope! I was amazed at the helpfulness and patience of everyone from TSA agents to airline staff to regular passengers and passersby as I shuffled 4 check’in’s, a carryon full of medicine and other medical supplies, a walker, a cushion, a blanket, a walker, support boots for Walter’s leg, Walter and a wheel chair on the two flights. Unfortunately no direct flights existed between L.A. and Omaha… but thanks to the kindness and sweetness of people, this all went really well. Walter was a trooper throughout!

Waiting for us in Omaha were dear friends who have arranged transportation and lodging for me, and a ready hospital bed for in-patient evaluation for Walter. Now Walter is going through thorough testing to make sure he is strong enough for the surgery here. If all checks out and we get clearance from the many doctors, psychologists, social workers, specialists, etc… and we get financial clearance – Walter will be listed for his transplant surgery here in Omaha. Nothing is for sure here. But at least we have a shot at it! He stands a much better chance of getting a new liver here as there is much less competition for the available donated organs here than in California. I will keep you posted as things progress!

Thanks to all of you for helping me pursue these kinds of options – it makes it possible to seek the best treatment for Walter! And also apply some “out of the box” thinking – like out of state surgery. We feel your thoughts, energy and prayers and feel that this wave of goodwill is carrying us ever forward.» – Marie Trout 

Walter og Marie Trout traff hverandre under en Walter Trout konsert i Danmark 1990 (for 24 år siden). Marie (som er dansk) har i tidligere intervju uttalt at de under konserten fikk øyekontakt og at det var «kjærlighet ved første blikk». I 1998 på albumet «Walter Trout» finner vi den fantastiske instrumentale låta «Marie`s Mood» som er en låt Walter har skrevet til sin kone Marie og deres barn for å beskrive sine sterke og kjærlige følelser han har for disse. Låta er også et fantastisk eksempel som viser hans geniale gitartalent og hvorfor han regnes blant de ypperste gitarister i verden. Det er nettopp å kunne spille med slik «feeling» der følelser fra hjerte bringes gjennom blodårene, som igjen styrer musklene i fingerne og dermed bringer ut en gitarlyd som bringer frem gåsehud og tårer i øyekroken av ren fryd:

….Hang in there Walter! Get strong and well soon!