Support David Sutton's Recovery

Hi, I'm Jim Cohen, and I’d like you to meet my dear friend David Sutton.

David is an extraordinary and pioneering pet photographer, author, songwriter, and builder of cigar box guitars.

His story might sound familiar to you… it certainly resonates with me … it could happen to any of us.

His photography of people with their pets has brought joy to thousands of families for thirty years, telling the story and preserving the memories of our relationships with our pets …. “a love fest” of humans and animals. His photography hangs in thousands of homes, often remaining on walls for decades.

Through Sutton Studios, he has helped raise over $1M for animal and human welfare organizations, notably PAWS Chicago, where he did pro-bono work for over twenty years.

What Happened?

In 2011 he experienced an undiagnosed leak of his spinal fluid, which caused debilitating headaches, disorientation, memory issues, exhaustion, temporary cognitive impairment, and reduced function.

An early misdiagnosis led to an unnecessary brain surgery. He made a full recovery and worked diligently to build himself back financially, taking care of 100% of his obligations.

In 2020, the Pandemic hit his business hard, and then in late 2022, the spinal fluid leak reopened, again bringing headaches, disorientation, and an inability to work. It took many weeks to get in to see the right specialist, and then a week at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles to resolve the issue with major surgery that removed parts of his spine.

The issue is now permanently resolved, but his brain function has taken 6-8 months to restore. During that time, he experienced extreme exhaustion and depression. Recovery was slower, and more difficult at the age of 65 than it had been the first time.

Undeterred, David has never let up from in-kind charitable donations. Even now, he’s planning a charitable event for Evanston Animal Shelter for December and is planning a book project for 2024 for another charity.

Why a GoFundMe?

Finally fully recovered, once again vibrantly alive and excitedly moving forward with his professional life, including charitable work, and creative projects, he’s again faced with a shocking amount of debt associated with a period of seriously reduced income, as well as the expense of keeping the business running in the interim, keeping his dream alive.

At a time in life when many of his peers are winding down, he’s ramping up, better than ever, but with a lot of catching up to do.

At this critical moment of resurgence, he could use our help. Please join me in contributing to David’s GoFundMe and passing the word along —by direct message or text, if possible, or on social media—to your friends and family.

Let’s support him in keeping his creativity thriving and bringing joy to so many. Like I said, this could happen to any of us.

With deep gratitude,

Jim