
Help support Colin Jones as he undergoes chemo
Donation protected
Colin Jones is a 21 year old college student, photographer, an enormous sweetheart, and one of my very best friends. Earlier last year, amidst the chaos and uncertainty of the pandemic, Colin was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He had surgery immediately, and started treatment soon after. For the next few months, Colin would keep my roommates and I up to date on what would come next and what he was going through. All the while, he kept talking very hopefully about possibly getting some of the unemployment benefits that had been rolling out in Michigan to then buy his dream camera, a Leica (he has made it very clear to me many times that this is the end all be all when it comes to analog photography). Since he had stopped working in April to undergo treatment, instead of his job being affected by COVID, he was denied any money after numerous attempts. While frustrating to think about having the rug pulled out from under him, Colin still kept a wonderfully positive attitude. After completing treatment in July, began to work again in efforts to save money after months of having no way of making any income. A few more months had gone by, and Colin resumed living with us in Detroit after staying with his family while in treatment. Always with a smile on his face, I was so excited to see him working again to support his love of photography and to move forward. But unfortunately, one day in December found Colin back to square one, with the cancer returning in his lymph nodes. This meant he would have to start a different, more aggressive form of treatment, and that he would obviously not be able to work. He was just recently admitted into the hospital to begin this new treatment, and after the first day was informed that along with the testicular and lymph node cancers, he had also been diagnosed with leukemia, which had come from his previous treatment with radiation. Colin is now receiving treatment to get rid of the leukemia, and from there will move onto the treatment for his testicular cancer. This means that he will be out of work for likely a year post-recovery, as well as having to take more than a year off from school. It has been an incredibly tumultuous year for Colin, and I admire the positivity that he retains through it all.
In light of all of this, my roommates and I wanted to raise money to support Colin through his recovery, and to offer him a way to get on his feet after being out of work for so long. This would be incredibly beneficial for him to further his love for photography by purchasing a camera he would be able to use for the rest of his career. He is an incredibly talented photographer, and I miss seeing him get to do what he loves the most. And what better way to support that than helping him get something that would set him up for a career of taking photos? I know that any support would mean the world to Colin; so many people have already offered kind words and sentiments, as well as any gifts or assistance that they can provide. I am asking for any kind of help, whether in the form of donations or helping to spread this campaign.
Hoping for nothing but health and happiness for Colin in the future, and hopeful that we can support him as much as possible while he endures through trying times.
Some of Colins photography
In light of all of this, my roommates and I wanted to raise money to support Colin through his recovery, and to offer him a way to get on his feet after being out of work for so long. This would be incredibly beneficial for him to further his love for photography by purchasing a camera he would be able to use for the rest of his career. He is an incredibly talented photographer, and I miss seeing him get to do what he loves the most. And what better way to support that than helping him get something that would set him up for a career of taking photos? I know that any support would mean the world to Colin; so many people have already offered kind words and sentiments, as well as any gifts or assistance that they can provide. I am asking for any kind of help, whether in the form of donations or helping to spread this campaign.
Hoping for nothing but health and happiness for Colin in the future, and hopeful that we can support him as much as possible while he endures through trying times.
Some of Colins photography
Organizer and beneficiary
Mark Bettendorf
Organizer
Detroit, MI
Colin Jones
Beneficiary