Sax player Brecker fighting for life
His illness, MDS, or myelodysplastic syndrome, is cancer in which bone marrow stops producing enough healthy blood cells; best chance for finding transplant match likely to come from someone who shares Brecker's Eastern European Jewish ancestry
Well-known saxophonist Michael Brecker felt a sharp pain in his back while performing at last August's Mount Fuji Jazz Festival in Japan but initially thought it was just another of those ailments afflicting touring musicians that an ice pack or massage could alleviate.
Instead, it turned out to be the first outward symptom of a life-threatening disease that has temporarily silenced Brecker's saxophone. His best hope for a cure lies in finding a donor who's a suitable genetic match for a blood stem cell and bone marrow transplant. A person with Eastern European Jewish ancestry similar to his is likely to be the best choice for a transplant.
MDS
He had always been the more introverted of the Brecker brothers - with Randy on trumpet they led one of the most successful jazz-rock fusion groups - preferring to speak through his instrument.
But now his illness - diagnosed as MDS, or myelodysplastic syndrome, a cancer in which the bone marrow stops producing enough healthy blood cells - has led him to speak out to encourage people to enroll in a donor program.
"It's something that doesn't come naturally. ... I obviously miss playing and writing music," said the 56-year-old Brecker, his voice sounding frail in a telephone interview from his suburban home in Hastings-on-Hudson where he's recuperating after being hospitalized for nearly seven weeks for chemotherapy treatment. "On the other hand, this whole experience has allowed me to be a conduit to attract attention for a cause that's much larger than me ... for people to go get tested (for the marrow donor program) because I know a lot of lives will be saved."
Brecker's illness forced him to cancel a much anticipated appearance at this month's Newport Jazz Festival, where he would have showcased the stylistic versatility that won him 11 Grammys, including two last year for his large ensemble album "Wide Angles."
Campaign for help
Brecker's presence was very much felt during the festival which was the launching point for an international drive spearheaded by his wife, Susan, and longtime manager and friend, Darryl Pitt, to encourage people to sign up as potential bone marrow donors.
Announcements from the stage urged people to go to a tent set up by the Rhode Island Blood Center. By the festival's close, more than 300 musicians, festival staff and fans had given blood samples to enroll in the registry.
Brecker's siblings and children were tested but none turned out to be a suitable match for a transplant. The best chance for finding a match is likely to come from someone who shares Brecker's Eastern European Jewish ancestry, but European Jews as well as blacks, American Indians, Hispanics and other minorities remain underrepresented in the donor pool.
According to the website of New York City radio station WFUV, a donor drive was scheduled to be held for Brecker at the Red Sea Jazz Festival, now nearing its end in Eilat.
Also, on that website, an email from Brecker's wife called for organized donor drives at synagogues.
Brecker said all "the cards, letters and e-mails often reduced me to tears. It's given me a strong lifeline, a powerful force to keep trying to live."
