Trent Reznor Asks For Your Help To Save A Life
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!!!
Tags: Eric De La Cruz, Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor
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May 21st, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Very commendable of TR. One of the few artists who consistently draws attention to pressing social and political issues and tries to help out. I made my donation.
May 21st, 2009 at 12:01 pm
if trent cares so much why doesn’t he just pay for it himself? honestly, hes a rock star, 150K should be a drop in the bucket for him. I don’t get it.
May 21st, 2009 at 12:13 pm
@Meghan — yay!! love to you!!
May 21st, 2009 at 12:17 pm
@joey — it’s very easy to assume that people can just shell out large sums of money even if they are rich. philanthropy isn’t only about paying out money.
May 21st, 2009 at 12:24 pm
It makes my heart sing to hear of the kindness of strangers!
Thanks for sharing this, if I had the cash I would donate too!
May 21st, 2009 at 12:25 pm
I appreciate the efforts to save a friend, but Reznor’s dig on the health system makes NO SENSE in this context. In a nationalized health system it’s true that Eric would not have to worry about the cash related to his transplant, but famous people would not be able to do things like this for their friends, and he’d have to wait in line like everyone else. For a young, able-bodied person (presumably last in line) this is a pretty sad demand. Especially if we lose some of the talented surgeons that make it easy to get operations if your insurance will cover them to better marketplaces (for their talents).
That being said, props to Trents for the efforts! Real philanthropy is about spreading goodness as much as it is spreading about cash, so kudos for doing that!
May 21st, 2009 at 12:44 pm
May I just say that your blog is awesome, Trent!! I first stumbled onto your site a few years ago and I check it everyday. Not only are your comments insightful and hilarious, but you love Nine Inch Nails, who I have loved since I was a kid in the 90’s. Thanks for all of your hard work!!!! Keep it up!
May 21st, 2009 at 12:47 pm
I definitely respect Trent for doing this for Eric. Sometimes people need big names attached to a cause in order to get any response, and Trent seems to be doing a fantastic job. I am confused though, if Eric needs $150K and $260k has already been donated, then isn’t that enough?
Trent, did you donate enough to have dinner w/ TR & the guys on May 31st?
May 21st, 2009 at 12:48 pm
I have been following this on Facebook through friends who are close to his sister and the situation. We a=have also signed petitions. I have never met Eric, but it is clear that he is loved and sad to see such a young person struggle through so much needlessly. Hope this helps him and his family!
May 21st, 2009 at 12:50 pm
@K — TR mentioned that 100% of proceeds are going to the De La Cruz family, so hopefully they do now have enough for the transplant but I’m sure there are other needs that need paying for. We’ll have to wait until TR posts an official follow-up, hopefully with really great news. And yes, I donated enough to dine with the NIN boys on the 31.
May 21st, 2009 at 1:11 pm
@ Kitee-
That assumption that socialized healthcare will cause us to lose all of our talented surgeons is false. Do you work in healthcare? I do…I work in administration for a large University/Hospital and I can assure you that many, many doctors/surgeons/nurses work not for the money, but rather to help people who are suffering. The doctors/nurses/technicians who work for the money DO NOT last long—healthcare is a job that consumes your entire life. Those type of surgeons/doctors are already in private practices like Plastic Surgery and (with a few exceptions) aren’t in the healthcare system that uninsured/medicare people use for severe injuries or prolonged illness. Please don’t spread negative, political propoganda if you aren’t heavily involved in this industry. We WELCOME the idea of socialized healthcare and only fear the transition period–which most would be happy to address. And, wouldn’t you rather people be prioritized from Unhealthy to healthy, rather than wealthy to poor? Sorry everyone–rant rant. I don’t speak for everyone, but I think I speak for the majority of healthcare workers. I work with hundreds of doctors/surgeons–I can tell you a thing or two!
May 21st, 2009 at 1:12 pm
150k was just to get him on the transplant list. The total cost of the procedure is and after care is close to 800k.
May 21st, 2009 at 1:15 pm
@bubblegum! bless you – couldn’t have put it better myself!
May 21st, 2009 at 1:16 pm
@Bubblegum–
Hear, hear!!!!
May 21st, 2009 at 1:20 pm
@Danny — THANK YOU for the clarification, keep the donations coming :)
May 21st, 2009 at 1:24 pm
supposedly eric needs 780k for his transplant.
DONATED see you backstage in charlotte!
May 21st, 2009 at 1:44 pm
As someone who has an uncle that received a kidney transplant 7 years ago I have to say it is a beautiful thing to see so many people giving to Eric’s cause. It is especially touching to know that people who can’t really afford to give much or who aren’t interested in taking NIN on their offer are still giving.
May 21st, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Awesome story! Its nice to see people who care and celebrities using their fame for good rather than evil!
May 21st, 2009 at 4:37 pm
trent, thank you for sharing this! it made my day. i don’t listen to NIN but have come to respect TR through reading PITNB. i am happy to donate to such a worthy cause.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:43 pm
That is amazing! I hope everything works out for Eric. God bless.
May 22nd, 2009 at 12:49 am
I don’t listen to NIN either, but I have new respect for them now and might take a chance on listening to their art now too. Thanks Trent!
May 22nd, 2009 at 1:50 am
It’s great that they are helping him out by raising the money like this. Seeing as they are rich themselves I assume they have donated a large chunk of money too.
However with these kind of stories I always wonder about the people with the same problem that don’t manage to snag a celeb to help them safe their life. Do they just die? Will a US hospital truly not safe your life if your insurance doesn’t cover it?
May 22nd, 2009 at 6:29 am
@Kitee – it listed that there is no transplant hospital in Nevada. Did you know that the only hospital in Nevada that had cancer treatment for people on state hospital insurance closed their doors in January due to lack of funding? I watched a PBS documentary on it… shameful. A woman who was on medicare, dying of cancer, lying in a bed couldn’t receive chimo anymore. And the worst part? Some ninny repossessed her hospital bed that she was using due to non-payment.
While state care would definately have a line-up – it would be fully funded.
@Joey How do you know that the reason why the donations went so high, so fast wasn’t because he put in money? This is a great win win sitatuation.
@Trent – thanks for posting. With all the bad news, it’s great to see people coming together.
May 22nd, 2009 at 6:52 am
Lives are more important than money so well done to everyone who donated! I cant imagine how much relief the family is feeling.