Earth, Wind & Fire drummer John Paris moves to rehab after two months in hospital
Earth, Wind & Fire drummer John Paris, 58, has left hospital and begun rehabilitation after more than two months in care in San Francisco.
A GoFundMe update posted on Oct. 8 confirmed he had moved to a rehabilitation centre, a facility that provides supervised therapy and ongoing medical support outside the main hospital ward. The development was reported by Billboard.
Paris suffered a critical medical emergency on Aug. 6 before an Earth, Wind & Fire concert with Lionel Richie in San Francisco. The San Francisco Fire Department confirmed crews responded to a report of a cardiac incident at the venue and transported one person to hospital in critical condition. He then remained hospitalised in the city for the next two months.
During that hospital stay he underwent two major surgeries and was placed in a medically induced coma. In such a coma, doctors use medication to keep a patient deeply unconscious to allow the body to heal. He woke on Aug. 20.
His family said he stayed in intensive care after waking, with doctors preparing for a longer recovery than first expected, according to earlier reporting in Yahoo. Later updates said he went through a second period in a medically induced coma before waking again, as noted by Blavity. Organisers of his fundraiser said he was battling a spinal cord injury.
Paris did not have medical insurance when the emergency happened. He and his wife, Kathy Merrick, are pursuing assistance through Medicare and workers’ compensation. Coverage remained unresolved at the time of the latest report.
Medicare is the United States government health programme that covers older people and some younger people with disabilities. Workers’ compensation is a system that provides financial support for injuries linked to work. Both routes can take time to assess, which leaves families facing bills while they wait for a decision.
The public GoFundMe appeal had raised more than $101,000 toward its $110,000 goal at press time. That total leaves less than $9,000 to reach the target. The funds are intended to help meet medical and rehabilitation costs during a recovery that has already stretched across August, September and into October.
For supporters who have followed the updates since August, the move marks the next stage of care. It follows weeks of surgery, intensive care and hospital treatment. Further updates are expected through the fundraiser page as his rehabilitation continues.
