Artie's Story

Please donate as much as you can. With a $50 donation you will receive your choice of one of his autographed books of poems. Artie has always written poetry under the name, Pasquale Trellese. With a $75 donation or more, you’ll receive both books. Remember to choose in the drop down window.

For those who prefer to donate by check – checks made payable to “Artie’s Story Donation Fund” send to:

Dream Wild Records

578 Washington Blvd. #133

Marina del Rey, CA. 90292

100% goes to Artie

info@dreamwildrecords.com.

I don’t want Artie’s picture and name to be included in this onslaught of health care victims.

He’s not gotten his meds, they’re two weeks late again. Artie’s now transferred to a new clinic with a new doctor.

They’re waiting for County Hospital to send his bloodwork, test results from months ago, to a new clinic.

It should have taken 48 hours. It’s been 3 weeks already. On and on it goes… Lisa

All At Once mp3

Artie found out Medical doesn’t cover Oncology procedures. So more shuffling around, waiting for County Hospital to send his records to a new clinic to dispense the meds, tests he needs. He’ll be assigned yet another new doctor.

Please pass this website on to everyone you know, and let’s keep the donations coming. If you think your hometown TV, radio station would be interested in this story, send them here.

Artie and I wrote a new song All At Once.  He was going through his 700 lyrics, and one fell out, and it didn’t have music to it. He thought I would like it, and I did!   click on All At Once – you can hear it here- or http://www.myspace.com/lisanemzomusic

Thanks again on behalf of Artie for all your donations so far.

1/12/2010

Artie’s Story was released in the US, and got picked up by CNBC, Esquire, Forbes, and many other noted publications.

1/18/2010

Artie nearing the end of his second round of cancer meds – there is a 2 week break in between each round. It’s similar to chemo  with some gnarly side effects but it is keeping the mass near his lung at bay, until they figure out the next mode of action. Could be surgery, to take out the mass and relieve the coughing, but it won’t affect the actual renal cancer.

Your donations and outpouring are so appreciated.

Share the site, video on YouTube with everyone, cross post, don’t be shy about it. Artie needs all the support you can give.

If you feel more comfortable writing a check, here’s what you do:

Make the check payable to:

“Artie’s Story Donation Fund ” 578 Washington Blvd. #133      Marina del Rey, CA. 90292

This way, none of the social services that are beginning to finally come through, albeit minimal, will be compromised due to funds tied directly to Artie.

100% of the donations will go to whatever Artie needs in the coming months.

Thank you all for your kindness and generosity.

Lisa Nemzo

(photo: Lisa Nemzo)

Artie Colatrella is a poet and songwriter who is facing a life threatening medical crisis. Like millions of Americans, he is facing this crisis with little or no health insurance. As Artie’s condition has worsened, his friends and family, led by Lisa Nemzo, have come together to help him. “I had heard about problems like this,” said Lisa, “but until I saw it happen…I couldn’t imagine how people get tossed overboard and so lost in our health care system.”

Artie’s story is tragic and true. He has earned a living as a songwriter, lyricist and published poet in Los Angeles, where he is a respected artisan and well known in the creative community. His work has been featured in TV shows such as Felicity, Party of Five and Dangerous Minds; and in the films Staying Alive and Sleep Stalker. A song he co-wrote with Lisa Nemzo, Baby Don’t Hurt Me was recently performed and filmed in Seattle.

In May of 2007, Artie found a lump the size of a marble on the side of his rib cage. During a subsequent checkup he pointed this out to the doctors who told him they would order an ultrasound. He waited 6 weeks to get an appointment. By then, the lump had grown to a six-pound tumor engulfing his kidney.

The clinic sent Artie by taxi to a local County Hospital where he waited 23 hours to be admitted. He underwent emergency surgery to remove his kidney and a large malignant tumor. The surgeons had to leave remaining malignant cells as they were inoperable. Artie was diagnosed with renal cancer and released from the County Hospital. Despite the knowledge of the remaining malignant cells, he was never given standard, follow-up chemotherapy or radiation. This was a very dangerous turn of events for Artie. With no follow up treatment, much like breast and colon cancer, renal cancer can show up in another part of the body. Read the rest of this entry »

Listen to “Baby Don’t Hurt Me”, co-written by Lisa Nemzo and Artie Colatrella, with a special intro by Lisa Nemzo.

Click play on the player below: