Thursday, October 28,1993
ctober 28,1V ~
The Battalion
Page 3
Cadets to help little Aggie fan
iditiO ^7 Michele Brinkmann
The Battalion
IcGuire
jTason Hensen, an eight-year-
AL,0N old from Somerville, Texas, is a
;n graduatebig Aggie fan, but because of a
it life atltterribly debilitating disease Jason
idged fatmay never have the chance to at-
aduate Canrtend his favorite university.
) begin™ Ijason suffers from congenital
s designeillpatic fibrosis and critically
aduatestutneeds a liver transplant,
ns and sc: Because Jason's condition was
he student highly publicized over the sum-
a;ht help timer, several of Texas A&M's
iate studies Singing Cadets got together and
Presidenll decided they wanted to help,
with the:: His parents, Franklin and Phyl-
listed twoplis Hensen, were very thankful
irk DumasiWhen the Singing Cadets' office
Ip him orgc called one day and offered to help.
■At the time, Jason was in inten-
rad Camp sive care in Houston.
:dents adjif:| "I really needed some good
Hws at that time," Phyllis said. "I
graduate was really touched to actually
as A&Mlehave Aggies wanting to help out
t the Unn-because we are such big Aggie
. "GradC-fans."
el like the? The Singing Cadets invited Ja-
as muchaipp and his family to campus to
identdoes Watch them rehearse. After the
oth the stiefthearsal they gave Jason a tape to
;ity lose v take home with him.
udentfaill Phyllis said Jason loves going
n. to the Singing Cadets rehearsals
uate shuhand he cherishes the tape they
the spirit,:::gave him. )
activities,:: Although Jason doesn't talk, he
what A&Cunderstands what is going on and
s said. "K-knows the Singing Cadets are try-
iversity wring to help him, his mother said.
A&Mlose': Going to the rehearsals is a
■ry well-efcspecial occasion for Jason. His
ble of malparents are careful about where
s." Eey take him because in Septem-
Campisstiber, Jason's esophagus started
ind he anibleeding as a result of his dis-
iut thelogkease. He lost ten percent of the
e're setting:
to accompl*
p," Fawsaf:;,
lot of resea:
to what are:
blood in his body.
He is on medication to prevent
bleeding but there is no guarantee
that it won't happen again.
"If the vessels were to burst
again, he could die before reach
ing Houston," Phyllis said.
Jason was diagnosed as having
polycystic kidney disease when he
was born. Soon after, he was put
on dialysis and underwent a kid
ney transplant.
The new kidney was promptly
rejected, and at this time he was
found to have congenital hepatic
fibrosis, which affects Jason's liv
er, and requires that he receive a
liver transplant.
His family is currently trying to
raise money which will allow Ja
son to be put on a three-month
waiting list.
But, his family must raise
$150,000 of the $230,000 total cost
of the transplant to be put on the
list. The Hensens have confront
ed numerous difficulties in rais
ing the money, since their med
ical insurance company dropped
them due to a clause in the com
pany's policy.
They have already acquired
$63,000 from a variety of sources.
Hermann Hospital in Houston
is conducting the surgery and
will put him on the waiting list
when they feel the family is real
istically capable of meeting this
monetary goal.
But the Hensens are very frus
‘Just for Jason.
Shawn Grotte (right) sophomore kinesiology major keeps Jason Hensen company during a rehearsal. A&M Singing Cadets are preparing for
to perform a concert this Sunday for eight-year-old Jason. Due to a debilitating liver disease, Jason needs a transplant.
trated with the hospital's policy.
Franklin, Jason's father, said he
doesn't understana why the hospi
tal won't put Jason on the waiting
list if they sign a contract guaran
teeing the money to the hospital.
"If Jason were to get very sick,
he would get the transplant, but
who wants to see their child near
death just so they can get a trans
plant?" Phyllis said.
Linda Baumann, a transplant
coordinator at Hermann Hospital,
said the financial requirement is
so important because the money
doesn't only pay for the surgery
but $5,000-$10,000 per year for
medications and re-hospitaliza
tions for years after the surgery.
"This is a very unfortunate part
of our health care plan," she said.
Phyllis said she is upset be
cause Hermann Hospital is a
charity hospital and tax-exempt,
and nobody has even said 'Let's
try to work this out.'
"I am not asking for charity or
for anything free, I just want it
done," she said. "I will pay my
bill."
The Singing Cadets are per
forming a "Just for Jason" benefit
concert Sunday at Wolf Pen
Creek Amphitheater.
Josh Jones, the Singing Cadets'
public relations coordinator, said
the Singing Cadets plan to raise
between $5,000-$10,000.
All proceeds from the concert
will go to the Jason Hensen
Transplant Fund. Donations can
be sent to:
Citizen State Bank
Singing Cadets
P.O. Box 518
or
P.O. Box Drawer K-l
Somerville, Texas 77879
Aggieland Station, Texas 77844
you:
icies. OuronsJ
|uickly. And
n accident. AS(|
At CarePlus,)
78 4 0 696-OMl
ditor
ggielife editor
Sports editor
M, Sports editor
Horton, Jan
arrie Miura, StepM
Music revIews
‘The Song Ik 1 When’ shows artistic mixture
A more mature Trisha Yearwood
%
:
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A3
By Lesa Ann King
The Battalion
"The Song Remembers When"
Trisha Yearwood
Country
MCA
While not as powerful as her sophomore release,
"Heart in Armor," Trisha Yearwood's third MCA al
bum, "The Song Remembers When" proves that her vo
cal strength and emotional interpretation of a song has
matured.
"The Song Remembers When" contains a more artistic
mixture of music than any of Yearwood's previous releas
es. Her music selection also utilizes some of country mu
sic's most talented songwriters including Willie Nelson,
Rodney Crowell and Kostas. Most of the songs are slow,
melancholy ballads that complement Yearwood's dynam
ic vocal strength.
One of the most powerful, heartfelt selections is the
first release and title cut, "The Song Remembers When."
The song tells of the lingering memories of a old love
brought back by a song.
Another moving and mournful ballad to listen for is
"Lying To the Moon." This song tells of a lover's pain as
she makes excuses to the moon for her man not showing
up to meet her.
Songwriter Rodney Crowell contributes another pow-*
erful ballad to the album with "Don't Fall In Love So
Easy." This song flows through the speakers with a dis
tinct honesty that only Yearwood's voice could provide.
Another sad selection is the soft, stirring "Hard Promis
es to Keep." The acoustic guitar and Rodney Crowell's
harmonies add to the song's moving effect.
Changing the pace a bit, Yearwood takes a more
bluesy approach to the sassy "Better Your Heart Than
Mine." An "I told you so" kind of song, this song
demonstrates Yearwood's matured vocal ability.
Moving towards a more honky-tonk sound, "If I
Ain't Got You" shows Yearwood's more upbeat and
spunky vocal abilities.
The other cuts are also artistic in their composition,
but most fall short in comparison.
While not a typical country album, "The Song Re
members When" takes a different, more poetic approach
to country music. The song selection may not receive as
much radio airplay as Yearwood's previous releases, but
her fans will love the musical depth and honesty this
collection provides.
Yearwood
Country music pioneer does it again...
‘Soon’ \mt in time for Tanya Tucker fans
By Lesa Ann King
legliola, )ay Robbfc
do Quezada and
The Battalion
"Soon"
Tanya Tucker
Country
Liberty Records
A past CMA Female Vocalist of the year,
Tanya Tucker possesses one of the most dis
tinctive and enduring country female voices.
And her latest Liberty release, "Soon" dis
plays her immense vocal talent at its
sharpest.
Unfortunately, like most of Tucker's al
bums, "Soon" contains about four or five
good songs, with the rest serving as fillers.
Cuts to listen for on this album include
the hit title release, "Soon." This track has
the strongest vocal performance on the al
bum. Co-written by Casey Kelly and Bob
Regan, the song looks at a no-win affair,
with a new twist on its probable outcome.
Tucker also shows her vocal depth and
emotion in the slow, heartbreaking ballad,
"We Don't Have To Do This." Co-written by
Gary Burr and Victoria Shaw who wrote
"The River," for Garth Brooks, and "I Love
The Way You Love Me" for John Michael
Montgomery, this song is a girlfriend's
earnest plea with her boyfriend to reconsider
ending their relationship.
With a sad and regretful tone. Tucker re
calls the memories of an old love on home
video in the mournful ballad, "Let the Good
Times Roll."
The more sassy and upbeat cuts on
"Soon" include the bold and sultry "You Just
Watch Me." This song embodies the tradi
tional brassy Tucker sound.
"Hangin' In" also has a flowing, up-
paced, two-stepping beat that gives the song
its own distinctive Tucker sound.
Another upbeat song is the bouncy
"Come On Honey." The song's rhythm is
reminiscent of the another Tucker song,
"San Antonio Stroll."
Tucker also keeps up the beat in the fun
and spirited song about an opposites attract
relationship in "I Love You Anyway."
The other cuts are good songs; however,
they don't have as much lyrical quality and
depth.
Tucker's vocal talents have been rock sol
id since her first hit release, "Delta Dawn" at
age 13. A pioneer among country music
ladies. Tucker talent seems to get only better.
"Soon" proves Tucker's time as a number
one lady in country music will not be over
any time soon.
'
ill!