This is an ask for Kevin Gray: beloved father, fiance, friend, Eagles fan, lighting technician, and member of the Philadelphia film community.

Kevin is as humble as the day is long, and absolutely allergic to the idea of putting anyone out. But recent medical events have left Kevin unable to work, so as his fiance, I'm making this fundraiser on his behalf in an attempt to alleviate some stress and allow Kevin to focus wholeheartedly on his recovery.

To know Kevin is to love him, as I'm pretty sure all of his friends and colleagues can confirm. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't consider myself among God's favorite people to get to live my life beside someone as clever, as thoughtful, and as funny as Kevin.

After our daughter was born in April, Kevin and I suddenly had a vested interest in staying alive longer. We both embarked on medical maintence we'd been putting off forever: dental procedures, check-ups, screenings, etc. For Kevin, this included a trip to the dermatologist to look at the characteristic spot on the tip of his nose.

As someone who knows Kevin, you doubtlessly know this spot. It's like a trademark. Something that made his face unique and memorable, and something that he wore so well it just sort of seemed like it should always be there.

Kevin and I both loved this spot, but with a family history of skin cancer on both sides, we knew it needed immediate examination. A biopsy confirmed that it was indeed cancer, and the kind of cancer that needs to be treated expeditiously.

Because of its size and placement, doctors would need to remove, then reconstruct, the entire tip of his nose.

After multiple "setbacks" (read: sabotage) with insurance companies, Kevin finally underwent surgery on December 8. The melanoma was excised successfully, and Kevin began a procedure known as "forehead flap reconstruction".

Google image this at your own risk, but surgeons took a long, rectangular living skin graft with vasculature from Kevin's forehead and attached it to the tip of his nose. It is simultaneously attached to both his nose and his forehead, forming a temporary, open "bridge" that will need to exist until his next surgery, which will be 3-4 weeks after his first. Surgeons will then disconnect the graft from his forehead and finish building his nose.

It's a miracle of modern medicine, but you can see how it might suck to have this on your face, as someone with an infant who loves to grab things, and as someone who works long hours at a physical job. We were unaware going into this how intensive and time-consuming these procedures would be, but we are trying our best to take things in stride.

Kevin is under orders not to lift anything heavy and to get as much rest as possible while this process takes place, hence me creating this fundraiser.

I am so proud of Kevin for undergoing these surgeries to prolong his life for his daughter. He was awake (!!!!) during the entire first procedure, and the surgeon said he took it better than any patient ever has. But recovery hasn't been easy.

He is dealing with intense pain from the surgical site, tension headaches from where his forehead was sutured back together, nausea from medication, and fatigue as his body heals. I am caring for him as well as our 8 month-old daughter full time, and am limited in how much income I can generate while doing so. Christmas is around the corner, and we will be enjoying the company of our friends and family to lend a hand as he gets better.

I'm asking our broader community, of those who know and love Kevin, to consider contributing anything you're able so Kevin doesn't have to feel like taking care of his health is somehow burdensome to those around him. But more importantly, my ask is for when Kev recovers.

Philly film: hire this man. He is an artist, a gifted technician, and a joy to work with. You know it and I know it.

I want to show him that he's not going to just fall into obscurity because he's taken time off to do what he has to do to take care of himself. Remember him and call him up when he gets back.

Thanks for reading. We are so grateful for anything you can do to help out during this difficult time. All our love and GO BIRDS