Wyatt taking the time to heal.
Donation protected
Why We Are Asking for Help
In June 2014 Wyatt was diagnosed with bladder cancer. After undergoing surgery to remove the tumor, Wyatt was informed that he had muscle-invasive, aggressive cancer and would need to have his bladder removed. Following two months of chemotherapy, Wyatt had a radical cystectomy on November 18th to remove the bladder and surrounding lymph nodes and to create a neo-bladder using a portion of his small intestine. He came home December 3rd but now faces several months of recovery. The good news is that Dr. Black (a true badass) now believes Wyatt to be cancer free.
Wyatt wants to get back to building guitars as soon as possible, but it will be several months before he can start carving again. Wyatt's wife, parents and brother are all working to smooth the path for Wyatt, but the financial burden of not having any income for the past several months and many more months to come is a big concern. We are so fortunate to live in Canada; apart from some medications and supplies, the British Columbia Medical Services Plan has covered Wyatt's treatment. The Charette and Wilkie families have also gone to extraordinary lengths to help out both financially and otherwise. However, the coming months will be difficult for Wyatt, Emily and their two kids (Jasper and Bunny). We are hoping to raise enough money to cover basic cost of living expenses so that stress about paying bills doesn't hinder Wyatt's recovery or force him back to work before he is healed.
A Little About Wyatt
I first met Wyatt in 1994. He had moved to Calgary from California and was working at Calton Cases building guitar cases while playing mandolin with various bands. Quite quickly, Wyatt and I became very close. We used to sit for hours laughing hysterically and discussing everything from the movies we both enjoyed to the injustices we both felt that were happening all around us. Wyatt would sit for hours picking away at his mandolin in the room next to my studio which I truly did enjoy and do miss.
Eventually love pulled Wyatt to Indonesia where his future wife, Emily, was teaching. Wyatt continued to play music and developed a deep respect for local traditional instruments and their builders. It was while building a case for a traditional Timorese instrument using nothing but a Swiss Army knife that Wyatt decided he'd like to try his hand at instrument building. As Wyatt followed Emily hither and yon while she pursued a PhD, he built up, broke down and moved shop seven times in 11 years. Where most people would have given up, Wyatt dug in and worked harder than ever, determined to become one of the top luthiers of his generation. His efforts earned him an apprenticeship with Bob Benedetto in Savannah, GA. Within two years he had become a master archtop guitar builder. After leaving Benedetto guitars, Wyatt built up his reputation as one of the few remaining luthiers to build their instruments entirely by hand. In early 2014 Wyatt was looking at a bright future: jazz players on the East Coast were placing orders and he was gaining a reputation as one of the last great luthiers using only hand tools to build his instruments. That's when fate decided to play him this hand.
To find out more about Wyatt's work please visit his website here.
Wyatt would like everyone to know that the care he has received in Canada has been superlative.
To find out more about bladder cancer please visit: The Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network or Bladder Cancer Canada.
In June 2014 Wyatt was diagnosed with bladder cancer. After undergoing surgery to remove the tumor, Wyatt was informed that he had muscle-invasive, aggressive cancer and would need to have his bladder removed. Following two months of chemotherapy, Wyatt had a radical cystectomy on November 18th to remove the bladder and surrounding lymph nodes and to create a neo-bladder using a portion of his small intestine. He came home December 3rd but now faces several months of recovery. The good news is that Dr. Black (a true badass) now believes Wyatt to be cancer free.
Wyatt wants to get back to building guitars as soon as possible, but it will be several months before he can start carving again. Wyatt's wife, parents and brother are all working to smooth the path for Wyatt, but the financial burden of not having any income for the past several months and many more months to come is a big concern. We are so fortunate to live in Canada; apart from some medications and supplies, the British Columbia Medical Services Plan has covered Wyatt's treatment. The Charette and Wilkie families have also gone to extraordinary lengths to help out both financially and otherwise. However, the coming months will be difficult for Wyatt, Emily and their two kids (Jasper and Bunny). We are hoping to raise enough money to cover basic cost of living expenses so that stress about paying bills doesn't hinder Wyatt's recovery or force him back to work before he is healed.
A Little About Wyatt
I first met Wyatt in 1994. He had moved to Calgary from California and was working at Calton Cases building guitar cases while playing mandolin with various bands. Quite quickly, Wyatt and I became very close. We used to sit for hours laughing hysterically and discussing everything from the movies we both enjoyed to the injustices we both felt that were happening all around us. Wyatt would sit for hours picking away at his mandolin in the room next to my studio which I truly did enjoy and do miss.
Eventually love pulled Wyatt to Indonesia where his future wife, Emily, was teaching. Wyatt continued to play music and developed a deep respect for local traditional instruments and their builders. It was while building a case for a traditional Timorese instrument using nothing but a Swiss Army knife that Wyatt decided he'd like to try his hand at instrument building. As Wyatt followed Emily hither and yon while she pursued a PhD, he built up, broke down and moved shop seven times in 11 years. Where most people would have given up, Wyatt dug in and worked harder than ever, determined to become one of the top luthiers of his generation. His efforts earned him an apprenticeship with Bob Benedetto in Savannah, GA. Within two years he had become a master archtop guitar builder. After leaving Benedetto guitars, Wyatt built up his reputation as one of the few remaining luthiers to build their instruments entirely by hand. In early 2014 Wyatt was looking at a bright future: jazz players on the East Coast were placing orders and he was gaining a reputation as one of the last great luthiers using only hand tools to build his instruments. That's when fate decided to play him this hand.
To find out more about Wyatt's work please visit his website here.
Wyatt would like everyone to know that the care he has received in Canada has been superlative.
To find out more about bladder cancer please visit: The Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network or Bladder Cancer Canada.
Organizer
Darcy Muenchrath
Organizer
Toronto, ON
