Cards for Paul's Kidney

My husband David and I have been involved in the local theater community for about 15 years, and during this time we have made some wonderful friends. One of these sweet friends is Paul Gibbs. In fact, David's very first show was "The Magician's Nephew" with Paul and his brother Patrick.

Paul has suffered from kidney problems his entire life, but in the past several months his condition has become quite serious. When word got out that he was desperately in need of a kidney transplant, his family and friends began to rally together in different ways to help. Several people volunteered to be tested as donors, but for one reason or another no one was a match. Then one day we found out that a friend of ours (another incredible actor and a really great guy, Ryan Poole) was finally approved as a match!

There have been many delays due to insurance problems and finding out that in order for Medicare to help with the transplant, Paul had to be on dialysis for 3 months. Now after much waiting, Paul has finally had his double nephrectomy (the removal of his kidneys) and is doing well, all things considered. His transplant surgery will be on August 4th.

As they continue to move forward with the transplant, many people have been trying to find ways to raise funds for Paul. This procedure and the medication he'll need for the rest of his life are both VERY expensive. The theater community has donated the proceeds from shows, asked their patrons for donations and even held a benefit concert for Paul.

David and I (like so many people) do not have thousands of dollars to donate, but have a great desire to try and help in some way. Recently I read an article about a photographer in England that decided to sell greeting cards to raise money for charity, and I thought that I might be able to do something like that. But since I am primarily a portrait photographer, I did not have a huge selection of non-people images that I could use. Then I thought about the fantastic photographer friends that I have made and their incredibly generous spirits. I put a call out to those that might be able to help, and have been so pleased with the support and willingness to contribute their images.

So that's how this project began, and I hope that we will be able to raise a good amount of funds for Paul. Please be generous with your giving, and buy lots of cards (remember they never go out of style, never expire, and are always needed and useful). The money raised will go directly to Paul, and will hopefully make a difficult time a little bit easier.

Thank you so much for your support!

~ Jami