It seems Phil Nyokai James has suffered a stroke. Please let your thoughts and prayers be with him and his family. Here are the details...

Dear Shakuhachi folks --

This is Phil James' wife, Lara Schneider writing this message. I know he would want you all to spread this word as I just don't know quite how to reach individual people so decided to go this route.

We have been on a trip in Arizona trying to get a little R & R before our upcoming babies birth -- which is due on April 4th. I have some sad news. Phil has suffered from a stroke. We are in the intensive care unit in Phoenix, Arizona at the Mayo Clinic. He has been in intensive care for about 2 days. Luckily I was able to get him a helicopter ride here which has a good neurological department. Everything is completely up in the air for him and how his recovery will be. He has had an ischemic stroke, and possibly a type called a diversion (which is mechanical). It is somewhere probably on the mid-range of intensity (but unkown).

His left side of his brain is where the stroke happened -- but the right side of his brain has been compensating a lot. They suspect that music and art have helped this side be so developed -- yeah for shakuhachi!

Anyhow, I am in trauma mode and any help that you all can offer to him, us, our family would be amazingly appreciated. At this point spreading the word is most critical as I don't want his entire shakuchachi career -- students to be left in a lurch. Please spread the word to his shakuhachi dojo in Portland, Boston and anyone that may be going to the upcoming Montreal workshop or of course his friends in the shakuhachi community.

If you have questions please email me:
Lara Schneider
radiantnature@gmail.com

I can't be sure I'll write back immediately but will try. I plan to design a blog to keep anyone updated in a more general way if they're interested. Please email me if you'd like to follow the blog.

Please send us metta.

Peace,
Lara Schneider (Phil's wife)

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