Freddy Fender Undergoes Kidney Transplant Surgery

01/24/2002 5:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Mark Armstrong

(1/24/02, 5 p.m. ET) -- Freddy Fender successfully underwent kidney transplant surgery at San Antonio's University Hospital in Texas Wednesday (January 24). Fender's daughter Marla Huerta Garcia, 21, donated the organ to her 64-year-old father, who suffers from renal failure brought on by hepatitis C, diabetes, and other medical problems.

Fender, a two-time Grammy winner known for the hits "Before The Next Teardrop Falls" and "Wasted Days And Wasted Nights," has been undergoing dialysis for the past 18 months. In a news conference at the hospital, Fender said, "I've just been laying on my recliner, day and night. I'm tired of being tired. I don't do well with dialysis." Fender's daughter joked: "When I was younger, I gave him a lot of trouble, so now I'm saying, 'We're even now.'"

Garcia's kidney was removed by laparoscopic nephrectomy, a relatively new procedure in which the organ is taken out through a smaller-than-normal incision. The procedure means less pain and a faster recovery for the donor.

Because of his health problems, Fender has performed very little of late, but said he hopes to return to the concert stage in April. Fender's surgeon Dr. Jay Bishoff told the San Antonio Express-News one day prior to surgery, "If all goes according to schedule, Freddy should be able to attend the Grammy Awards next month." Fender is nominated for his third Grammy this year for best Latin pop album for La Musica De Baldemar Huerta, which takes its title from the singer's real name, Baldemar Huerta.

-- Sue Falco, New York

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