By Trent Moore, Source: Blastr.com
Sad news, comic fans: Jonah Hex co-creator Tony DeZuniga is in bad health following a stroke, and he’s dealing with some mounting medical bills to boot. But you can help.
DeZuniga is currently in the Philippines after a stroke caused brain damage and swelling. A procedure to try and help the swelling seems to have exacerbated the problems, and his wife Tina says things are looking very critical.
“The stroke damaged the brain. It has bleeding inside and they need to open up the brain but with so much medication they were able to stop the bleeding but the brain was swollen so they need to take the pressure out so they need to insert a tube to release the pressure but since I don’t want them to open up it created an hernia,” she said in a post via Comic Art Community. “His condition is so unstable. He got infection that they need to treat, his pneumonia, need to be watched because he’s having problem breathing and blood pressure on top of the heart. With too much medications his stomach bleeds. One on top of the other.”
To make matters worse, DeZuniga has no insurance, and his hospital stay is costing approximately $1,500 per day, not to mention medication. Information on making a donation via PayPal to help with expenses can be found by emailing tonydezuniga@yahoo.com. For more updates on DeZuniga, follow along at Comic Art Community.
Legendary comic artist Neal Adams, who has worked on everything from Superman to Green Arrow, has also gotten involved. Read his plea for help below:
For everyone who receives this, Tony DeZuniga was the first Filipino artist whose work was accepted by an American Publisher. And it was he who opened up the door for Alex Niño, Nester Redondo, Alfredo Alcala, Rudy Nebres, Dusty Abell, Ernie Chan (Chua), and a dozen other artists.
Tony has returned to the Philippines and is in dire straits. May I ask you for a donation to help him and his family out in this time of need? Lack of medical insurance is the band of our existence as freelancers. For those of us who have medical insurance, we know the peace of mind it brings.
Please, whether as a favor to me, or to help a fellow comic book artist, or for any other reason you can do it, please find a way to send an amount of money that you feel you can afford.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
