[78-L] Odetta seriously ill

[soundthink at aol.com]

Odetta made 78s for Fantasy in the mid-1950s.

Cary Ginell


Odetta, singer/songwriter known as "The Voice of the Civil Rights 
Movement," is seriously ill and in a New York hospital with kidney 
failure, according to a statement from her manager.
Odetta apparently went to the Lenox HIll Hospital over the weekend 
for a simple IV treatment but had kidney failure Nov. 9 and is listed 
in critical condition. An active supporter of President-elect Barack 
Obama, Odetta is determined to sing at his inauguration in January, 
according to manager Doug Yeager. The full statement follows:

Dear Friends of Odetta,
On behalf of Odetta's adopted daughter Michelle Esrick and her niece 
Jan Ford (in California), I would like to share with you - Odetta's 
large extended family of brothers and sisters - the current health 
crisis in her life. On Saturday, she went into Lenox Hill Hospital 
for a check-up and IV nourishment. However, on Sunday evening she 
went into kidney failure, and we were told that the next 24 hours 
would determine if she would survive.
Miraculously, she made it through that emergency, but is still listed 
in critical condition. I was on the road when she went in the 
hospital and rushed back on Sunday. Jan and I are thankful that 
Michelle was here and has been by Odetta's side every moment of this 
ordeal.
Odetta believes she is going to sing at Obama's Inauguration, and I 
believe that is the reason she is still alive. She has a big poster 
of Barack Obama taped on the wall across from her bed. Her old heart 
has already outperformed and lasted far beyond the expectations of 
the heart specialists who treated her in January-March 2007 when she 
had her last health crisis while touring out West. Now compounded 
with the kidney failure, the doctors at the hospital are trying to do 
everything possible to stabilize her system and prevent the weakening 
of her other organs. They have her on dialysis now to rid the body of 
the toxic poisons that have built up, and it seems to be slowly 
working. She is sleeping a lot, but after a dialysis treatment and 
some food, she is coherent and talking. She is not in pain. We are 
told that she will be in the ICU Unit for at least another week, and 
that we'll just have to wait and see after that.
All of you are well aware of Odetta's indomitable spirit. 
Accordingly, I wouldn't bet against her singing for Barack in January!
If you would like to send a card, I know that she would love to hear 
from you (address of the hospital is below).

Ms. Odetta Gordon
Room # 719, 7th Floor ICU Unit
LENOX HILL HOSPITAL
100 East 77th Street
New York, NY 10021

Warmest regards,
Doug Yeager