• 10
  • June
    2010

When Deftones bassist Chi Cheng suffered a traumatic brain injury in November 2008 during a car accident, doctors weren't sure he would survive. For nearly a year and half, Cheng has remained in a coma-like state, showing minimal response to doctors, family and friends. However, a new treatment regime has Cheng exhibiting definite signs of improvement.

Doctor Joseph Nguyen, who has been monitoring Cheng's condition, recently noted increased alertness, responsiveness and some directed movement. Much of Cheng's improvement has been credited to a cutting edge treatment plan that mixes approved drugs, electrical stimulation and nutraceuticals, or food that has medical benefits.

Dr. Defina, chief scientific officer and founder of the International Brain Research Foundation, along with Dr. Jonathan Fellus, of the Kessler Institute, began treating Cheng after being contacted Gina Blackmore, founder of the site One Love for Chi. Since the accident, the site has served as both a source for updates on Cheng's condition and a way for fans to donate money.

Blackmore is currently trying to raise several hundred thousand dollars to ensure Chi continues to receive the cutting edge treatment he has been receiving.

Over the past few years, 84 percent of patients receiving the treatment developed by DeFina and his colleagues have woken from vegetative or semi-conscious states. Traditionally, the average rate of recovery lands between three and seven percent.

Cheng is famous as the original bassist for the critically-lauded metal group Deftones. The band formed in the late 1980's in Sacramento, California and gained national attention in 1995 with the release of their debut album, Adrenaline.

Since then, the Deftones have toured the world and sold millions of albums.

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