A Letter to The Famous and Influential

Dear [Insert Names of Famous, Influential People Here],

If you ever walked a red carpet or attended an event with other cultural luminaries in New York City between 2004 and 2008, my husband Paul Hawthorne probably photographed you. And he probably came home and told me all about you. Not because he was a gossip or had much interest in the world of celebrity. But because I was the pop culture addict in the family and would often grill him about what you all were "really like."  He usually shrugged and said something brief like "She's hot" or "He was cool. Very down to Earth."  On the rare occasion he cursed some of you out for being late or a bit standoff-ish. (Yes, I'm omitting his choice words here.)

See, Paul was a former Navy guy who trained with the Combat Camera group. After years of shooting news and sports, he ended up in the more stable world of entertainment photography where he approached every red carpet event like a photojournalist. He always went out of his way to capture something unique about you and your peers.  He was blissfully unaware of Hollywood gossip but was keenly aware of seizing the moment when he was photographing a breathtakingly beautiful person, a gorgeous fashion design, or just a spectacularly rare, candid split-second in time.  Like a faux punch exchange between Mohammed Ali and Denzel Washington. Like Harry Connick, Jr. doing a split in mid-air during a Broadway curtain call. Like a laryngitis-plagued Jessica Simpson being stunned silent when she realized she had won a car. Like being in the presence of his idol Walter Cronkite.

I could tell you a lot more about Paul but you are likely pretty busy.  So, I'll summarize his sad ending. Paul died at the age of 41 from a rare blood disease called Primary Amyloidosis.  It's hard to pronounce.  It's hard to diagnose. It's rare and complicated and for reasons unknown to medical experts it causes a person's vital organs to fail. Four months after diagnosis, Paul lost his battle with this surprise-attacker of a disease. Ali's punch x 5000 wouldn't sufficiently describe how determined Paul was to get well. Some opponents are too relentless.

In an attempt to help others with Amyloidosis, to honor Paul, and to celebrate all of the photo-worthy moments that were his life, I have formed Paul's Posse, a team of 40 people who will be competing in the New York City triathlon this weekend. It would be so helpful if you could get the word out about our cause. Anything you can do. Tweet it. Tell your friends, your co-stars, your connections in the medical community about Amyloidosis and Paul's story. You can send them to amyloidosis.org for information and instructions for team donations.  Any or all of the above would mean the world to me and to everyone in Paul's Posse.

Warm Regards,

Amy