Pat Cleveland Has Cancer

Veteran model Pat Cleveland, who is such a force of nature all her own that she is in a class of modeling that no other model occupies, was diagnosed with colon cancer while in Paris.  She had surgery there and is recovering, and when she returns home to America, she plans to get chemotherapy.

There's one problem - she doesn't have health insurance.

Ms. Cleveland began modeling in the early seventies, when celebrity models were few and far between - many models of her generation are known more by sight than by name - so while she did attain celebrity with her unique presence, it never made her rich.  The result is that she needs help to pay the bills for her treatment, and if this sounds familiar, yes, this comes right on the heels of Nastasia Urbano's recent plight with homelessness.  I'm stunned by how many celebrated women in the world of fashion modeling are left high and dry despite whatever success or longevity they enjoy in their profession.

I don't know Pat Cleveland the way I know Nastasia Urbano, but I am connected to Ms. Cleveland's husband, photographer Paul Van Ravenstein, on Facebook, and you may remember that I got my picture taken with her by her husband at a movie screening.  She was very nice and gracious to me, as was her husband, and so I am eager to bring to your attention the GoFundMe campaign her husband has set up for her.

The campaign was started earlier this week, with a $150,000 goal.  It's already over two-thirds of the way there, having brought in $112,145 when I last looked, but Ms. Cleveland still needs more help to get to the $150,000 threshold. You can donate by going here.

I was just reminded this week of how devastating cancer is.  I just learned that my own uncle has colon cancer, and I also just learned that another uncle died from cancer this past summer and a cousin - who was about to turn 40 - died of cancer as well just before Christmas.  

If you can donate to this campaign, I hope you can do so.