Causes — April 30, 2019 at 10:13 pm

Guadalcanal Diary’s Jeff Walls needs a double lung transplant — here’s how to help

Jeff Walls, co-founder, guitarist and songwriter for suburban Atlanta college-rock favorites Guadalcanal Diary, has spent the last month in intensive care after being diagnosed with a very rare form of pulmonary hypertension that only can be cured through a double lung transplant.

Murray Attaway, the band’s frontman, late last week launched a Gofundme crowdfunding campaign in a bid to raise tens of thousands of dollars to help “cover the staggering costs of all the procedures he has and will endure.” As of this posting, that effort had raised more than $27,000.

According to Attaway’s post on Gofundme, Wells — who also plays under the alias Flesh Hammer in the garage-rock act The Woggles — has been diagnosed with Pulmonary Veno-Occlusive Disease, or PVOD. The extremely rare disease “is caused by progressive blockages of the small capillaries in the lungs. This causes the heart to have to work harder, until eventual heart failure.”

The cause of the disease, Attaway writes, is not know, but is believed to be the result of genetic mutation. The only cure is a double lung transplant, he writes — and sometimes a heart transplant also is required.

Attaway writes:

“Jeff is an extraordinary human being; kind, caring and generous to everyone and dearly loved by fans, friends and family alike. He also happens to be one of the most extraordinary and gifted musicians of our time. Jeff has been in intensive care for approximately a month, with no clear end in sight. Insurance will not begin to cover the staggering costs of all the procedures he has and will endure, and he and his family will suffer profoundly. Whether you’re friend, family, fan or all-around fine person like Jeff, your donation will help immensely. Thank you very much in advance for your kindness!”

Walls and Attaway co-founded Guadalcanal Diary in Marietta, Georgia, in the early ’80s, and the band released four albums on Elektra Records between 1984 and 1989, scoring college-rock hits with singles “Litany (Life Goes On)” and “Always Saturday.” Guadalcanal Diary reunited for a few years in the late ’80s, then again briefly in 2011 to celebrate their 30th anniversary.

To donate money toward Walls’ medical care, visit Gofundme.com.