Clara's Deep Brain Stimulation surgery

UPDATE: 7 fucking hours of surgery and 2 weeks of healing later, and Clara is markedly better. The tremors are sooo much better, her speech is nearly normal, and even her walking is much better. They don’t even have these things programmed yet. Don’t ask her to do any math, but this looks like it’s going to work! They will be programming the leads May 6th, and that will be the last procedure for a while.

Your donations, your love, your support- quite literally, got her through this. The Reeds couldn’t have done it without you.

It’s hard to express how much you mean to her, but she will be able to tell you in person really soon. — Sally and Clara

UPDATE: $18,000! Your donations to Clara mean she and Brad don't have to worry about the first surgery coming up on the 10th. She will need round the clock care for several days, then faces another surgery for an implant soon afterwards. The second brain surgery will be sometime in June. We will keep you posted, you are amazing, like for real. Thank you thank you thank you.

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If you have followed Clara's story, you know that her life has changed drastically from the Clara you see in this video. I am here reaching out to Clara's friends and family to ask for help to offset the cost of her upcoming brain surgeries.

You know her because your favorite band finds another gear when she jumps onstage to dance. You know her dazzling smile and infectious energy. But our own icon is now cautious about tripping and falling, and the dancing has slowed to a halt. The tremors are notable and have caused multiple debilitating issues in her body (which have required separate recent surgeries.) Both her neurologist and cardiologist have told her she can no longer work full time. The diagnosis of Essential Tremors and Dystonia is serious, however it is not a death sentence. The DBS surgery she faces is cutting edge, and will require several procedures, but the hope is that it allows her to function more independently and return a semblance of her former life.

As Clara and her family start to focus on preparing for her upcoming brain surgeries, this fundraiser is intended to prevent them from becoming one of the one in five Americans who must make tough choices about their healthcare due to their existing medical debt and the prohibitive cost of healthcare. Seeing Clara dance at the Continental Club is still one of the great joys of living in Austin. In these scary times, we need nuestra hermana back more than ever, dancing on the stage and into our hearts.