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The Waymores, for years, have been hailed by their peers as one of the hardest touring acts in the Underground Country Music scene. Their last two studio albums have gained great recognition from the press and from their fans across the country. The pair, normally touring 150-200 days a year, are about to hit pause and face their biggest hurdle yet. Wife and half of the team, Kira Annalise, is having brain surgery at 39 years old.
At 7 years old Kira developed a tremor in her hands. After years of testing, she was told she had a neurological disorder called Essential Tremors. While it’s not a death sentence, it is a progressive disease, and the last few years have progressed quicker than anyone expected. What started as an annoyance has ended with Kira needing a surgery that she was originally told couldn’t happen until the age of 50. Her tremor has progressed to the point where she can no longer write legibly, some days her husband must feed her and by far the most heartbreaking progression to Kira herself is that she can no longer perform. The medicines she has been on since childhood are no longer working and have caused a slew of side effects that have made life on the road beyond difficult for the both the singer/songwriter and her husband.
The pair have made the difficult choice to come off of the road for the 2 part brain surgery totaling a 5 month span. Deep Brian Stimulation will start on October 29th and the final lead will be placed in late January. The surgery doesn’t come without worry and risks Kira’s speech, her ability to walk and cognitive decline amongst other things but the pair remains positive in the face of these medical challenges. The hope is that the surgery will allow Kira the rest of her life with a steady hand, a healthy body and the same traveling spirit.
This GoFundMe will go towards cost of living and out-of-pocket health expenses while The Waymores hit pause for Kira’s brain surgery.
If you know Kira, you know she is doing her best to advocate for herself with her insurance provider, as well as applying for grants but unfortunately, the recovery for this in depth surgery is very unpredictable. Your support of this campaign would allow Kira to dedicate 100% of her time to her health and recovery and allow her to pay any out-of-pocket medical expenses which we already know will be a minimum of $15,000.
For the last few years, Kira has pushed herself to continue touring through this disease and unfortunately it has reached a point where she can no longer safely do that. It’s never easy to ask for help but being an independent musician means that 5 months off of work is very scary. Musicians bring so much joy to the public and The Waymores have put a smile on so many faces with their shows and their songs. If you have the means to help, I know it will be beyond appreciated by two people that we appreciate so much.
