So I have this friend named Jewel Shepard. Known her a long time…longer than you'd imagine, given how young she looks. (I took that photo, by the way. I'm not that great a photographer but even I can't take a photo of Jewel that doesn't make her look stunning.)
Sad to say, she is suffering from a particularly nasty kind of breast cancer, not that there are any good kinds. She has, in fact, already had both breasts removed and she still has all sorts of medical problems. You can't help her with those but you can help with the closely-related problems she has of the financial variety. Simply put, she cannot afford to pay for the treatments she's receiving or the ones she still needs to get. Even with limited insurance, the bills are astronomical — as fine an example as any of why the current Health Care System in this country is intolerable. People die every day in this country because they cannot afford treatment and a lot of us are determined that Jewel will not be one of them.
So is she. She's fighting harder than you can imagine, working every possible job and doing what she can to not let the devastating side effects of chemotherapy prevent her from earning bucks she needs. Still, the costs are too great for anyone to handle so friends are helping out and a benefit is being held. The horror/gothic bookstore out in Burbank, Dark Delicacies, is selling books and prints and signed photos of Jewel (Caution: She is naked in the photos) and this Saturday, October 22 at 7 PM, there's an art show and a signing at the store.
If you ever wanted an autographed nekkid photo of Jewel, now's the time. Or if you just want to help out a lovely lady, that's okay, too. Her book, Invasion of the B-Girls, is an entertaining volume that will tell you all about women who make the kind of movies she's made. I recommend ordering a copy for yourself if just ordering for a good cause isn't reason enough…though it really oughta be. She will also be a guest at the Frank 'n Con, a horror-oriented convention in El Paso, Texas on October 29 and 30 if you're in that area and want to buy stuff from her in person.
As I said, I've known Jewel a long time. I would like to know her a lot longer time. Please lend a hand to someone who needs and deserves many.