Update: A GoFundMe account has been set up to help out with Aldrete's medical costs. For those interested in donating, head here. On the GoFundMe page, it states: 

The journey Juan and his family are about to embark on is a marathon, not a sprint; it is a long road and we want to be able to tap some of the best and most passionate medical professionals who are experts on TBI patients and their potential for recovery.

Physical, occupational and cognitive therapies are just some of what we’ll need to pay for in the coming weeks and months. In-patient care and therapy, special medical equipment and assistance are other expenses we anticipate in the longer term. And while we help Juan focus on recovering, he will not be able to work but of course the goal is to get him back to playing music, and talking pedals on Pedals and Effects with his partner in crime, Nick. Because the world needs Juan on bass just as much as Juan needs to play bass.

Juan Alderete, bassist for The Mars Volta and Marilyn Manson, among other groups, is in a coma after suffering a "very serious" bicycle accident.

The news was announced on Alderete's Facebook page by his wife, Anne, who relayed that the musician was involved in an isolated accident. The bass player, who joined Manson's touring band in 2017 and is one of speed metal group Racer X's only constant members, was wearing a helmet and protective clothing at the time and no other people or vehicles were involved.

In her message to Alderete's fans, Anne explained that the musician's traumatic brain injury is classified as a "diffuse axonal injury," meaning the connective fibers of the brain (axons) were sheared as the brain rapidly moved inside the skull.

Read Anne's complete message directly below.

Hi everyone - this is Anne, Juan's wife. While I generally hesitate to share personal details on social media, it felt right to include all of you who've supported Juan over the years as friends, fans, fellow music (and food, cat, bike, Japan) lovers and musicians.

Juan was in a solo (no cars, other people) and very serious bicycle accident on 1/13/20 not far from our home. He - as always - was wearing a helmet and protective clothing but sustained serious head trauma in the form of a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI); his form of TBI is Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI) and as of today, he remains in a coma.

The only prognosis is to wait and see, as the brain is a complicated organ and the outcomes for DAI patients has a range as wide as the sea. While frustrating, it also allows for a world of positive outcomes so we can only hope for the best.
We know you have questions, concerns, thoughts to share, so please feel free to leave them in the comments (not DM please, sorry) here. We're also very eager to hear from neurologists, medical professionals with experience in DAI and TBI, first-person accounts of similar trauma and outcomes - essentially any useful, factual and accurate resources that relate to Juan's injury. If you have any of these, please DM me (Anne) @tunatoast.

We will post updates here from time to time. Thank you all and please keep Juan in your thoughts. - xo, Anne

We are wishing for a positive outcome for the Alderete family and our thoughts are with them, as well as Juan Alderete's bandmates and friends, during this difficult time.

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