Current update, October 24, 2022: Surgery has gone well, Dejan was out of the hospital in a day, on Wednesday, 10.19. Jernej was out the first possible day (after initial anti-rejection treatment), Saturday 10.22. We are both doing wonderfully, today's labs show a kidney filtration that is already now almost within the normal parameters for the first time since Jernej's original diagnosis in teen age (after three years of being unable to see well due to poor kidney function, he has also completely regained his perfect eyseight). We walk more than 3 hours every day, we are slow, especially Jernej, moving at a turtle's pace, but hey...! Jernej now has a kidney that is a World Championship winner, a World Cup winner, a European cup winner, and has participated at the 2000 Sidney Olympics: Jernej is naturally is feeling Olympic! The key now is to carefully follow medications prescribed by the physicians in order to prevent rejection, avoid any impact activities, move as much as possible, sleep well, eat well and plenty, and PEE! :D Please keep supporting and sharing our fundraiser as we both depend on this during our long recovery. We are deeply grateful to all of you and at this very moment we must especially thank our caretaker since the beginning of the surgery, Lana Koyadinovics for her committment, time, friendship, and care. In advance we thank to Jana Ipavec who is coming from Slovenia to take care of us starting Friday until the completion of the first month after transplant. We are also grateful Brandon Drea and Karen Amirkhanyan for their willingness to take on this role if necessary, and to all of Jernej's neighbors. Jernej simply cannot express his gratitude to his old friend and new brother, Dejan, who has given Jernej a new lease on life.
(and before the surgery:
Update, October 13, 2022: Dejan and Jernej are both ready for the transplant surgery, which will take place on Tuesday, October 18, early morning. We are extremely grateful to everyone who has supported us so far. At this crucial stage, we ask for contributions to help us during the recovery stage. Please consider also sharing our fundraiser. It will make a big difference for us. The initial recovery for Jernej will last approximately 3 months, and how that goes will be one of the determining factors for the successful of the transplant in many years to come (by experts' estimates perhaps even forty!). The past few months have presented us with an extremely challenging and busy journey. We are immensely grateful to all our past and future supporters. Through their selfless and generous acts they have already made all the difference in making this journey one with a very likely happy end. We will never forget your compassion and help. We also express our deepest gratitude to the medical team at the UCLA Connie Frank kidney transplant clinic. It goes without saying to whom Jernej will always be grateful for the gift of life.
(The picture below is of Jernej and Dejan, some years ago, when an important chapter of our story was written.)
Jernej Copic is a kind and generous man, known to a lot of people in Santa Monica and Los Angeles because he plays the cello in his neighborhood in a park, in front of a barber shop, at farmers markets on Sundays, in front of coffee shops... Indeed, almost every morning you can find him playing his cello at Cafe Lovi on 19th Street and Broadway in Santa Monica! He brings his music like a joyful hummingbird, and in his own words, what he enjoys most is when children of all ages smile and dance to the tunes of the suites for solo cello by J.S. Bach.
At a young age, Jernej's aspirations as a white-water kayaker were interrupted by chronic kidney disease. In 2008, while on faculty at UCLA as an economist, he received his first kidney transplant from his mother, under the caring eye of Dr. Gabriel Danovitch, one of the world's most prominent and experienced transplant nephrologists. Currently, he is on dialysis, waiting for his second kidney transplant from his best friend, Dejan Kralj, Olympian, and a winner of world and European cup and championship titles in white water kayaking.
As a cellist, Jernej studied cello with famed teachers and soloists, Ciril Skerjanc, Jurgen de Lemos, and Mineo Hayashi, students of monumental cellists of the 20th century, Pablo Casals and Andre Navarra. Jernej was initially engaged in theater, film, and recording work, and he executed humanitarian projects, such as collecting funds in response to the 1998 earthquake in NW Slovenia by biking with his cello and performing J.S. Bach's suites for solo cello around Slovenia. Jernej then became an academic game theorist, but today he is primarily a cellist. He has a keen interest in many musical genres, such as world, blues, rock, electronic, but his passion and current focus is on an integral performance of the Six Suites for Solo Cello, by J. S. Bach.
As a part of the fundraiser a concert based on voluntary contributions took place on
June 22, at 7pm at EL FLORIDITA, 1253 Vine Street, Los Angeles (doors open at 630pm).
Featuring (in the order of appearance):
Mr.MAK GRGIC , Grammy nominated classical guitarist
AND
Mr. DANNY BEALLO on drums
Mr. WILLIE CHAMBERS , Legend of blues, rock, and gospel, on vocals and guitar
Mr. BRANDON DREA on accordion
Mr. JERNEJ COPIC on cello
For those unable to attend in person, the concert will be streamed live and recorded. Please check my facebook page for the public live stream.
A huge THANK YOU to the wonderful musicians.
A special THANK YOU to Armando J. Castro, Terry Drea, and especially Benedetta Jasmine Guetta for their support.
