Help me support a photographer in need.

[Big Mike]

I hate doing this sort of thing, asking for a handout, even when it's not for myself. But I hate the alternative more.

A dear friend of mine, Susan, has been diagnosed with stage III breast cancer. She will start treatment as soon as possible. Thank goodness she lives here in Canada, where we have a pretty good healthcare system, but there are still going to be some heavy expenses.

I'm posting this here, on a photography forum, because Sue and her husband are professional photographers. I have long admired them for turning their passion into their livelihood, supporting themselves (and now their young daughter) via photography. They have been doing what some of us here are doing, and what many of us wish we could do.

They own and run a photography business, Picture That Photography, as well the photography school, CPLC, where I've been teaching classes for several years. But as self employed, small business owners, they don't have a company benefits plan, which would normally cover most of the cost that they are about to incur.
On top of that, their ability to earn an income will be severely compromised for the foreseeable future.

I first met Sue when we sat beside each other in a photography class. I only remember that she was courteous and friendly, I don't think I even remembered her name. A couple years later, my wife's friend was getting married and we were invited, but because I was shooting a wedding myself that day, my wife went to the wedding by herself. As a single guest, she was seated with the photographer, which happened to be Sue. They got to talking and that led to Sue asking me to second shoot with her, which I did several times over the next few years. When Sue and her partner started CPLC, I was the first instructor they hired. The day my first child was born, Sue was there with her camera to capture those memories for us.

Another friend of Sue's, and also a photographer herself, Beth, started a fundraiser campaign to help Sue and her family. So that at the very least, they won't have to worry as much about money, while they concentrate on the much more important issue of Sue fighting for her life against her cancer.

So, I'm posting this here in the hopes that maybe some of our members will be able to spare a few dollars to help a fellow photographer.

If you want to donate, you can do so at this link Susan s Battle with Breast Cancer by Beth van der Bij - GoFundMe

Thanks