** Tomas Young** Update 03/20/13

Last night my friend and I went to see A Body Of War followed by a Q&A with Phil Donahue. After the movie Phil came out and surprised the audience with a live Skype of Tomas and his new wife. Before the screen was filled with their image, Phil explained that Tomas did not look the same as he did in the movie. He was trying to prepare us for what we were going to see and hear.

Tomas has been through a hard 9 years. He recently lost his colon due to swelling in his abdomen. He is in pain both mentally and physically. Very early in the interview he revealed that after his first anniversary with his wife in April he is going to refuse his food, ween off his meds until he is lucid and pass away at home surrounded by the people that love him. His speech is slurred and hard to understand and he can no longer feed himself due to loss of use in his hands, mostly his thumbs. His humor is still intact however, he made a few remarks that made us giggle. But during this difficult interview he was poised and seems quite determined that this is what he wants.

My heart is heavy with sadness. He was asked if he thought the documentary had any impact on the war or our government. He said no. He said it told his story, but most people that saw the movie already had their minds made up either way. This was so hard to hear. That he feels nothing really came out of this wonderful gritty film.
When I first saw a Body Of War in 2008 I remember thinking what a courageous thing he was doing. I never thought his body would continue to deteriorate and continue to fail him. Every time I heard No More I would think of him and how lucky I was to be at a show where Ed had him come out. Like then I still want to support him and let him know that he did make a difference. He did make me think a lot about this war, a lot about our government and a lot about the reality of what happens high on the hill and how it trickles down to us, the people in this country.

I just wanted to pass on what he said last night. I was hoping to find an address to write Tomas, supporting him in his decision and letting him know that Pearl Jam has a big community that became aware of this movie and of Tomas himself. If anyone has an address I would appreciate it if you can post it. In the meantime I will be on the hunt for one so anyone who wants can show their support.