Mandolin virtuoso Frank Wakefield was hospitalized recently after being diagnosed with a combination of acute influenza and acute pneumonia. The lifelong bluegrass performer is approaching his 85th birthday in June.
He was well enough to be discharged on Friday, April 26 (2019).
He began to feel unwell two days before doing a show at Caffe Lena, the legendary folk music coffee house in Saratoga Springs, New York, on Saturday, April 13.
Initially, Wakefield was thought to be a lung infection. However, despite medication to treat that, by the day of the show he was feeling very tired and weak.
Hoping that bed rest would suffice. and expecting to be energized once he got on stage, he was determined to go ahead and do the show.
For the next few days after the show he was tired but not seriously so. However, early on Thursday morning, April 18, he started coughing a lot and having trouble breathing. Consequently, he went to Saratoga Hospital where he was diagnosed as having influenza and pneumonia and admitted for treatment.
Wakefield was in the hospital for nine days but, while still low, he is now happy to be at home.
All at Bluegrass Today wish Frank a speedy and full recovery.
My thanks are due to Marsha Sprintz for sharing the information used in this report.
