Help fund a heart transplant and hang out with Nine Inch Nails
Trent Reznor posted a message on the official Nine Inch Nails website last night asking fans for their help. Eric De La Cruz is in dire need of a $150,000 heart transplant and is, apparently, getting no help from the Nevada Medicaid system. TR decided to offer up intimate one-on-one backstage access to NIN at various tour stops along the NIN/JA 2009 Tour for those of you who are generously able to donate significant sums to help Eric fund his heart transplant. Here is the full text of Trent Reznor’s message to fans as posted on the official NIN site:

A Letter from Trent:
This is for something important. Eric De La Cruz is dying and needs a heart transplant. He keeps getting turned down for a transplant list because he’s on Nevada Medicaid, and there are no transplant centers in Nevada. We want to get involved and hopefully so do you, so we’re extending a hand. His sister Veronica (former Anchor and Internet Correspondent for CNN) has started a campaign to save his life.
Eric’s situation shines a bright light on a broken health care system, and his particular set of problems are being addressed on the political front, aiming for reform in addition to the need for immediate financial help to keep him alive TODAY. I think we can help with the latter.
Here’s what we’re offering – three options:
If you have a ticket to a NIN/JA show: if you donate $1,000 to this cause, we’ll invite you to come hang out with us before the NIN/JA show of your choice. You and a guest can watch soundcheck, eat dinner backstage with us, take pics / get autographs and watch the show from the side of the stage if you’d like.
If you donate $300, you and a friend can join us for soundcheck and a handshaking / hug session before doors open at the NIN/JA show of your choice.
If you do NOT have a ticket to a NIN/JA show: if you donate $1,200 to this cause, we’ll invite you to come hang out with us before the NIN/JA show of your choice and provide 2 tickets (best available). You and a guest can watch soundcheck, eat dinner backstage with us, take pics / get autographs and watch the show from the side of the stage if you’d like.
100% of the money collected from this will go directly to Eric’s fund.
I hope you’ll consider helping out with this.
Sincerely, Trent Reznor
To find out more about Eric’s situation:
http://weloveeric.com/
http://www.veronicadelacruzonline.com/
Believe me, I know that it is really hard for some folks to part with significant sums of money in this economic environment. That said, I’m sure that any donation that you might be able to afford will go a long way in helping Veronica De La Cruz fund her brother’s much needed heart transplant. This is an issue of life or death. It is really damn commendable for TR to offer up his help in this way. I was so moved by his plea last night that I made my donation on the spot last night as I read this letter on my phone. Right there at the NewNowNext Awards I made my donation. I hope that you, too, can help out in any way you can for this great cause. I don’t know what I would do if I was faced with having to find a way to pay for a loved one’s heart transplant … it’s the least I could do to try and help ease that burden for the De La Cruz family. I hope you feel the same. If you cannot donate, please pass these links along to all of your friends on your blog, My Space/Facebook pages, Twitter profiles, etc. Click HERE for more information on Eric De La Cruz’s situation and click HERE if you want to donate the sums required to be able to hang out with Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails backstage. I’m looking forward to posting that the required sum has been reached and that Eric will be able to have his heart transplant. Make those donations, y’all!!!
UPDATE: TR just posted on his Twitter profile that they have since raised over $260,000:
I am truly blown away by the response to this: http://store.nin.com/helperic – we are over 260K in less than a day! THANK YOU #ERIC
Great, great news! Keep the donations coming!!!
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