From Tom Braid in Edmonton:
"Paul Wodehouse didn't plan his retirement well" - Not his fault! Things changed in 1992. He left the Edmonton Sun and had a great freelance career going. Then things changed again and Paul adapted. Then his only child, his talented son, was killed in 2002 by a drunk..............he lost tons of work. Paul adapted again. He and his wife have stayed together but have already killed their savings through the last 20 years. Life is not fair some days. Lucky most people have friends that will step up.
For the more "mature", old school 1970's, 80's and 90's photojournalists, Paul Wodehouse is the a name of a shooter you both respected, admired and also hated when he kicked your ass at any given assignment in Alberta.
In Edmonton from the late 70's to the early 90's, Paul was one of many very cool characters on the newspaper scene. For Edmonton, it really was a Renaissance time for shooting at a newspaper (or magazine). The list of characters is long – you had to be there to really know what I am talking about.
Anyway, Paul has hit a "glitch" in his pending 65-years-old full retirement plan. He has lung cancer. On Monday, the Dr.'s will be removing one of his lungs.
After months of going through the thought that it was stage 3 and time to get your affairs in order, the Dr's now think that the cancer is contained in one lung. With removal of the lung and a road of recovery, this crusty shooter just might be around for a few more decades!
Our old friend Paul needs some help.
Before the Dr’s told him he had cancer, he was driving a school bus to help fill in the blanks and help pay bills. Now with surgery and a long road to recovery, Paul and his wife have set up a private fundraiser with the modest goal of $10,000 to help get them through the pending months of expenses.
If you can help please do. The link to help and more info is listed in the first post above.
His wife, Carol-Ann Wodehouse, is currently handling Paul's e-mails at:
wodesca@me.com-Tom