Eyehategod frontman, Mike IX Williams, has received a new liver. His wife, Michelle Maher-Williams, issued the following last night:

“This morning we got the call we'd been waiting for... They found a donor match for Michael!!! After waiting all day to hear something, they just took him down to prep for the transplant! They should start the actual surgery in about an hour. I'll keep you posted on his progress. Please send good thoughts.”

In an update, Michelle reports: “Surgeon just came out to talk to me - it's over! Everything went well. New liver is functioning and making bile. They're taking him to ICU now and I can see him in about an hour.”

Michelle recently launched a YouCaring fundraising page for a lifesaving liver transplant. She posted the following:

“In December 2014, while on tour with Corrections House, Michael was hospitalized in Texas. The ER doctor told him that his liver was failing and he wouldn't survive another year. He immediately returned to New Orleans and consulted with one of the best liver specialists in the country. Although he was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver, this doctor gave him the hope and encouragement that he needed to put up the fight of his life.

“Over the next year, thanks to changes in his diet and lifestyle, his liver function continued to improve. He was cleared to travel to Europe in June 2015 with Eyehategod. The day after he got home, he was hospitalized for three weeks. After several more hospital stays, he seemed to stabilize. In April 2016, he was again cleared to tour with Eyehategod. With only a couple of dates left of the tour, he was found unresponsive in his hotel room. He was rushed to the hospital in Kentucky and put on life support. A few days later, ever the fighter, he came out of his coma and was able to breathe on his own. Two weeks later, we returned to New Orleans to consult with his specialists. It was apparent that his liver just wasn't healing quickly enough to provide him with a life of quality. He would need a liver transplant. Thus began our journey to get him on the list. It was not an easy task by any means. He jumped through hoops, slashed red tape, and was subjected to a battery of interviews and tests, both physically and mentally. He consulted with therapists, nutritionists, radiologists, as well as cardiac, liver, kidney and infectious disease specialists, just to name a few. He submitted blood and urine specimens twice weekly.

“On October 10th, 2016, he was admitted to the CCU (Critical Care Unit), vomiting blood. Along with internal bleeding, it was determined that his liver and kidneys were failing. He was placed on life support and dialysis. Through sheer grit and determination, he was eventually able to function on his own. We were told that he would not be leaving the hospital without a new liver. His case was presented before the board and he was approved for the transplant list. He's been hospitalized ever since.”