Hello, my name is Karl. I am a budding photographer. I live in Co.Donegal where I love to capture the beauty and magic that this wonderful county of Ireland has to offer. Because of an ongoing cancer related illness I cannot work, and therefore cannot afford the high price of camera equipment. I do have a good camera and have made the most of its features, but to advance and take the camera and my photography to its full potential, I require a lens for it that will help me take my photography to the next level. If you like my work then maybe you might help me reach my goal of furthering my craft. Please donate however small and help a man help himself to bring the beauty of this world to the fore. See below for a brief history of my cancer journey

In 2006 I was diagnosed with bladder cancer. I had two operations to remove the cancer. After the second operation the cancer came back but this time much more aggressive. They hit me with chemo to fight it, but the chemo almost killed me in the form of an adverse reaction. At that stage there was only one way to go and that was to have my bladder removed which is what they did. About a year or two later due to complications my bowel twisted itself and became blocked. That was then another major operation to remove that part of my bowel. Another two years later due to more complications a hole developed in my remaining bowel which meant I had to go under the knife again and have some more bowel removed. After that I began to suffer constant kidney infections, so many that my left kidney had to be removed because the constant infections scarred it until it stop working altogether. After all of the above, my health in a word would be described as volatile. I have good days and I have not so good days. I can't hold down a job due to the unpredictable nature of my health. Therefore it would be pretty much impossible for me to buy such a lens to improve my photography. So a hand up via this fundraiser would help me greatly to advance my craft, because besides my two kids, it's probably the only other reason to get out of bed in the morning. It's so important to have a focus because the other choice is to throw my hands in the air and give up on this cruel life. I hope that helps people understand a little better my motives. Thank you.