Guitarist Pritesh Walia Recovery Fund

I am reaching out to you on behalf of my close friend, Pritesh Walia, to humbly request your financial support for his ongoing battle with multiple chronic conditions. Pritesh, an incredibly talented guitarist, composer, and educator, has faced tremendous challenges in recent months that have severely impacted his ability to live a fulfilling life and pursue his passion for music.

Last November, Pritesh was struck with a severe case of vertigo, leaving him unable to perform, teach, and carry out daily activities. After extensive medical examinations, he was diagnosed with Persistent Postural Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD), Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH), and chronic vestibular migraines. These conditions have caused him to experience constant vertigo, dissociation, oscillopsia, blurry vision, and balance issues, leaving him feeling nonfunctional.

Pritesh's case is particularly complex, as he battles a combination of multiple conditions, each presenting its challenges and overlapping symptoms. Unfortunately, there is no immediate remedy for relief, and the only course of treatment is aggressive physical therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and a carefully balanced regimen of medications. Over the past four and a half months, Pritesh has shown remarkable resilience and progress through vestibular rehabilitation, but the journey to full recovery is slow and arduous. He will need to retrain his brain to compensate for the dysfunction in his vestibular system.

The medical team assisting Pritesh is based in California and Massachusetts, requiring him to maintain insurance coverage in both states. Given the specialized nature of his condition, the medications and therapies he requires come at an extraordinary cost, making his insurance premiums prohibitively high. Pritesh's ability to work was abruptly halted just a month after receiving his Artist Visa, leaving him unable to sustain himself financially.

Anyone who has heard or played music with Pritesh can immediately feel the depth and profundity of his musicianship. His musical journey began at a began playing guitar at 16 while growing up outside of Delhi, India. He moved to the US to pursue higher education and received his Associate’s degree from the Musician’s Institute in L.A., a Bachelor’s degree from Berklee College of Music, and a Master’s degree from the New England Conservatory. Pritesh's versatility as a musician and composer sets him apart, effortlessly shifting between genres and styles with a keen understanding of the entire music-making process. I’ve shared the stage with him countless times and his playing is integral to my and so many other’s sound.

Pritesh’s natural inclination to give rather than receive has made it exceptionally difficult for him to ask for financial support. He is widely known as a selfless individual who is always there for others. Those of us who know him intimately have recognized the immense mental and financial stress he is currently undergoing while trying to recover. This fundraiser will ease the financial stress he is under, allowing him to focus solely on his recovery and rehabilitation.

The world needs musicians like Pritesh and I kindly ask for your generous support and encourage you to share this campaign with your network. By coming together, we can provide the stability that Pritesh desperately needs while he navigates this difficult chapter in his life.

-Joey Rosin