Pitchfork

As we reported back in May, Amy Dykes, one-half of synth-pop duo I Am the World Trade Center, is currently being treated for Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a form of lymphatic cancer, after discovering the illness while on tour. As you can imagine, the expenses required for such treatment can quickly grow to astronomical proportions-- cross fingers that they have health insurance-- but if you currently reside in or around Phoenix, Arizona, here's your chance to help out. Panicfest!, named after the weekly Panic! night at Scottsdale, Arizona's Anderson's Fifth Estate, will be going down on September 5th, with all of the proceeds being donated to Dykes to assist in paying for her treatment. The line-up features Silent Gray, Mighty Six-Ninety, The Reflection, The Pacific, Brodie Hubbard, Futurekind and Colorstore.

According to frequent updates on I Am the World Trade Center's website, Amy has been experiencing ups-and-downs recently. In late July, a PT scan revealed that chemotherapy had succeeding in shrinking the tumors considerably. However, earlier this month she was admitted to the emergency room and diagnosed with a condition known as Pneumocystis. Also known as Pneumocystis Pneumonia, the condition is caused by a fungus, and commonly affects people with lowered immune systems. If left untreated, the condition can be fatal, and is the #1 killer of people infected with AIDS. Fortunately, after a somewhat hairy hospital stay and a very high fever, Dykes pulled through, and is now faring better. Here's hoping for a continued speedy recovery so's we can all get our dance on again soon.