What Friends Are For

This blog post is particularly important to me, because it is one of the only ways I can think to help a friend. And to be quite honest, I don’t really know how to write about this subject, and I especially don’t know how to go about it. I’m talking about a great guy, Robert Carranza— “Jewelry and designs created to enhance the body, and please the mind.” He is a local, Los Angeles-based jewelry craftsman who sells his pieces every Sunday, rain or shine, at the Melrose-Fairfax flea market. Robert is an amazing, genuine man with a pleasant disposition, and a kind heart. Unfortunately, he was just diagnosed with cancer—brain cancer, lung cancer, and cancer of the kidneys. The doctor’s appointments will be frequent, the chemotherapy will be expensive, and thus, the bills will be many. Because he has to be at the hospital so often, the production of his jewelry is severely going to diminish, along with his only source of income. Robert has an incredible sense of pride and humility, thus he wont accept "charity," let alone acknowledge that he needs help. And because he is a self-employed artist doing both what he loves and what he’s good at, Robert cannot afford these immense bills which are accruing quickly. I strongly believe that just because he has a rather unconventional career, does not mean he should be denied health insurance and health care as a basic human right. So here I am trying to help him out as best as I can. As I previously mentioned, Robert is both a prideful man, and humble man. With this being said, he has absolutely no knowledge of what Im trying to do. The metal talon necklace pictured above is just one of the many beautiful and unique pieces he makes. I’m auctioning off this one to help pay for Robert’s medical bills. Please click HERE to place your bid! You can also support Robert by visiting him at the Melrose-Fairfax flea market which is held every Sunday at Fairfax High School. You can also make general contributions to my cause by clicking the "Donate" button below!It would mean the world to me if you could tell everyone about Roberts story, and about my cause. The world cannot afford to lose another great man or artist to this plague we call cancer.