Candace Brightman is an important figure in the live music scene, serving as a lighting designer for the Grateful Dead from 1972 to 2005, for Widespread Panic from 2005 to 2008, and for Dead & Company during 2015’s Fare Thee Well shows. Recently, tragic news broke that the beloved artist and LD is losing her vision due to rapidly progressing Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD).
In a recently created YouCaring fund, one of Candace’s neighbors has reached out to help support the lighting designer and Grateful Dead figure. As explained on the YouCaring page, Age-related Macular Degeneration is:
is the leading cause of severe vision loss in people over 60. It occurs when the small central portion of the retina, known as the macula, deteriorates. Every day her vision gets a little worse, and currently, one eye no longer sees much color. She is currently getting injections in her eyes from their local doctor, however, these do not stop the degeneration. So far she has been told by doctors that her AMD cannot be slowed and there is nothing to be done. There is currently no FDA-approved cure for AMD.
While it is said that there’s no FDA-approved cure, friends and family of Candace hope to get her from her home in Hawaii to Texas so that she can be seen by a doctor who’s known for his progressive treatments that use new medical technology, nutrition, diet, and supplements to slow down AMD. As noted by the YouCaring fund, “Candace and Larry will use the funds raised from this page to pay for the cost of a week of treatment and consultation with Dr. Tennant and for travel expenses.”
Please help this wonderful artist get the treatment she deserves. Head over to her YouCaring page here to donate money to this worthy cause.
[Photo: Joshua Timmermans via Candace Brightman’s YouCaring Page]