A month ago, Kellum Johnson, ace massage therapist and all around good guy as you may be lucky to know on both counts, suddenly experienced a sharp pain unlike anything he had ever endured. His abdominal muscles, already weakened from a work injury long ago, had torn and his insides were threatening to go outside. Though it was excruciating, he drove himself to the doctor, staying in contact with his sister, Suzi, by phone the whole way.

It was a quick trip from his doctor's office to the emergency room at Methodist Hospital in Richardson. His sister and his girlfriend, Heidi, were with him when the surgeon delivered the news that an operation was necessary, or there was every chance Kellum would die. This was not a choice.

The surgery went well. The staff at Methodist were kind, courteous and skilled. They did their jobs with the utmost in compassion and care. Kellum was in the hospital overnight and came home the next afternoon with a belly full of staples.

As anyone familiar with hospital visits knows, any time there starts to add up. The bills have come in and the maze-like process of figuring out what to pay to whom has begun. The grand total has fluctuated, but it's still a huge amount for someone who, as a self-employed therapist, has no insurance - on the order of tens of thousands of dollars.

This fund is being put together by his family, his friends and his clients. All of us who care about Kellum, who count him as a trusted professional and friend, want to help. If it can be in a big way, that's wonderful. If it's just the equivalent of buying him a cup of coffee or a beer to say "It'll be okay" that's good, too.

(Kellum himself is more than a bit shy about all of this "asking for help" business.)

Any amount we can raise for Kellum will be appreciated. Any help given is a wonderful show of care for someone who has touched our lives in such a positive way (sometimes literally!).