Friends,

This is Lizzy, Gabriel’s wife. A few days ago our family’s world was turned upside down. After coming home from playing a show on Miami Beach, my husband Gabriel Alcala had a sudden seizure, collapsed, and suffered a serious head injury that knocked him unconscious. I found him unresponsive on our living room floor and we had to rush him to the hospital. At the hospital he got a routine CT scan, after which doctors ordered an immediate MRI. It was at that point that we received devastating news. We discovered that Gaby has a tumor on the left side of his brain. It has likely been there for about 10 years, growing slowly, and it is what caused his sudden seizure.

Gabriel now has to undergo brain surgery to have the tumor removed as safely as possible, followed by possible radiation therapy. He will also remain on anti-seizure medication for life and is unable to drive for at least six months. We won’t know more about the nature of the tumor until the surgery is complete and they are able to biopsy it.

We are in shock, and scared, but we are also hopeful that things will be okay. Gabriel is awake, recovering, and back at home with us now, preparing for brain surgery within the next week or so. His positivity has held our whole family together during this extremely scary time.

Many of you know Gabriel. He is a beloved member of the Miami arts and music community. A gentle, generous, creative soul whose work and kindness have touched so many, he is my devoted husband and a loving father to our wonderful 2-year-old son Arthur, and a caring son, sibling, and friend.

I never imagined we would find ourselves in this situation, but we are asking the people whose lives Gabriel has touched if you can help support us through this difficult time. His treatment and recovery will be difficult both medically and financially for us, and we’re trying to navigate it all without financial strain or worry.

Your support will help with:

It is not easy for us to ask for support like this. But we are grateful for any amount you can give to help us through this time. If you can’t contribute financially, please consider sharing this page.

From myself and Gabriel’s family, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

-Lizzy, Arthur, Marilen, Jose Gabriel, Caro, Kim, Lina, Tommy, Kayla, Andrea, Larry, Sarah, Emmett, Iren, and Rocky

***Reaching out to Gaby and expressing support at this time is totally okay, but please refrain from asking any detailed questions or updates on his status. We’re trying to avoid him feeling stressed/overwhelmed with needing to answer questions. Please reach out to family and friends for those updates & we’ll be posting them as well.***

(Please know: Due to complications with our insurance and in the quest to ensure Gabriel has the best possible care, we may have to go out of network for his surgery and are expecting higher costs because of this.)