Last weekend, I spent 6 hours working on the itinerary and budget for the film. It’s a daunting task. I keep forgetting about things that will be needed. Thankfully, Dr. Robey has been there to help me and hear me vent. She’s got some great ideas!

January is going to be the big month. I’ve got a weekend of fundraisers lined up. I’ll be starting a Kickstarter campaign on the 1st. They give you 30 days (you can set it for more time, but statistically 30 days gets the best results.) I never really looked at the cost of this. In the beginning, I just figured we would raise enough to pay for gas and see what else we could get. I’m also hoping that my comedian friends in some of the cities we are visiting can hold a benefit show for us to be a part of the night we are in those cities. I’m excited. I’m exhausted. I’m overwhelmed.

I just watched “Craigslist Joe” on Netflix. I’m not feeling too well today, so I spent the day on the couch. It’s a cold/cough thing, and I know I got it from being run-down the past couple of weeks. It’s been pretty crazy with holiday parties, special events, and a little comedy thrown in. Anyway, this movie is about a guy who travels cross-country, relying solely on the kindness of Craiglist users to help him along the way. He got rides. He got places to say. He was fed. He met amazing people (and some crazy!) along the way. All I kept thinking about was what our trip will bring. Who we will meet. How each donor will impact my life. What the end product will look like. I cried.

I can’t wait to make this film to change the world’s perspective on live organ donation. I can’t wait to hear from people who donated because of seeing our film. I can’t wait to hear about the lives saved!

But most of all, I can’t wait to meet the other donors. I feel like I already know some of them. From Facebook, Twitter, phone calls and emails, I know these people. We haven’t met face-to-face yet, but it really doesn’t matter.

While I was testing to donate, I had a lot of personal “interviews” with many people on my team at Mayo. You get a Social Worker, and Advocate, a psych test (hahahaha yes, I passed! ), and all of the medical people. Those people kept me very well-informed, but they were lacking one thing: None of them were donors. Though they’d witnessed donations and performed them, they’d never donated. So, they don’t know what things *feel* like.

I don’t remember how long it was after my donation that I found the Living Donors group on Facebook. My donation had pretty much taken over my life, but I never had anyone who KNEW how I felt to talk to. It would have been nice to have such a network for myself.

So, what I’m getting at is that if all goes well with this film, I will make some money. I’d like to be able to start a foundation that mentors donors, before and after surgery. I love giving people information and sharing a very intimate experience with someone who’s been through it.

I talked to a woman tonight who donated on November 9th. I left a voicemail with another  woman after getting a message on the Facebook page. Her husband needs a kidney.

This has to continue to be talked about.

Being in the comedy world, as well as James, I thought “What better way to raise money than with solid comedy shows?”

I called on the best of the best. I’ve been performing with most of these people for almost ten years. THAT is how quality these guys are. I am humbled & honored to call them friends, and even more so because they all agreed to do the shows without hesitation.

So, if you are in the Phoenix area, they are January 18th and 19th at the Speakeasy comedy lounge (http://www.speakeasycomedylounge.com/). If you’re on Facebook, you can RSVP here: https://www.facebook.com/events/281272768662914/ for Friday and here: https://www.facebook.com/events/430681623664020/ for Saturday. There are two shows each night: 8pm and 10pm. Entrance is $10 and I will also have T-shirts to sell to raise more money.