In 2019, musician Jenny Wood was nearly killed in a car accident in which both her mother and niece died.
Although Wood survived, she endured a difficult recovery process and still suffers from grand mal seizures, which, she says, could prove fatal.
Wood, who relocated to Nashville a few years ago, will return to her former hometown on Saturday, May 18, for Jenny Woodstock. The event will raise funds for the Salvation Army and The Lord's Diner. It begins at 5 p.m. at Naftzger Park.
Wood will perform with Nashville musicians Amoretta Layne and Rob Stewart as The Wooden Lovers on a bill that also features The Cavves, Citadel Bucket Brigade, and Jenny Wood and The Watchers with other special guests slated to join.
Wood has spent her time in Nashville writing and performing music while also volunteering at a food bank in East Nashville. She recently spoke with KMUW about her life there and why she's eager to help the Wichita community.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
You've been living in Nashville for a while now, and I wonder what your life is like there.
I'm always with the East Nashville food bank, and I've been there since I moved here. That has changed my life, myperspective. I'm very grateful for the co-volunteers and my bandmates. I've been with them since I've been here, too. Everything's kind of stable and set. Of course, my grand mal seizures happen. I can't really go up and down stairs very well [or] balance. I have to do things differently now. That's OK.
Yes, I live in Nashville and am staying here, but what I am able to do is continue my lifestyle with the food bank, with my bandmates and take all that I'm learning here and take that back to Wichita. Wichita saved my life. The community did. It's my job to go back and celebrate and try to make people feel better or do anything I can to try to give back to them for all that they did for me.
What inspired you to begin working with the food bank there?
I was getting settled here, and I was thinking, "God, I'm on disability. I'm able to help. I'm able to work. I know I'm going to have seizures. I know I'm limited. I know, I know. But I can also help." The food bank is literally maybe a mile away from my little apartment. I couldn't even make this up. It's unbelievable. Everything is facilitating me to save my music and save my energy and save my love to give it.
[I went to the food bank soon after I got here] and they would let me play my guitar when [things] were slow. They're used to my grand mal seizures. They know what to do. But I've had nothing but a life-changing experience there with them. They're all older folks and wise beyond my years. They've just had a huge influence on me. It's ridiculous, Jedd. I can't believe the food bank, and I can't believe my bandmates. I can't believe how good everything is and now I get to give back. I'm just really excited.
You've mentioned your grand mal seizures … Each time you have one, it could kill you. This is something that's part of your reality on a daily basis, but, at the same time, it's not something that you can let rule your life.
Yes, exactly. Every day, I don't know if I'm going to die. I know that's in general for humanity. That has changed my life also. I can tell who my people are maybe and who understands all of that. [I had one grand mal seizure here where] I fell down the stairs and broke one of my guitars. When I came back up, things were all kind of thrown weirdly, and I was in denial. I didn't say it was a seizure. I woke up and thought I just fell. "Why am I out here?" Having those little moments with myself helped me, personally, grow and try to become an influence that I pray to become. I am the bug that won't die. There's been several experiences where I couldn't have made it back so what do I do [to] give back now? The day has come.
