'Vampire Diaries' Fans Raise Over $14k In One Day To Help Paul Wesley's Sick Friend
We've seen celebrities use fundraising pages for things like movies they want to make and charities they want to help, but on July 28 "Vampire Diaries" star Paul Wesley called on the Internet to reach a more personal goal -- to raise money for his friend Maggie's massive brain tumor surgery, which is scheduled for next week.
"Maggie is 30 years old, she works full time, but the medical bills that her insurance won't cover are going to be monumental and virtually insurmountable," he explains in a video that he later shared on Twitter, highlighting just how undeniably unfair it is to have to be thrown to the poorhouse just for being sick.
"So we, her friends and family, decided to set up this MedGift page to try to raise some money to help her out. I'm humbly asking you guys to join me today and donate. Any amount helps. It would mean the world to us."
As of Tuesday morning, the Rally.org page for "Friends of Maggie" had raised almost $15,000 for Maggie's surgery bills. We have no doubt in our minds that TVD fans would have rallied around Wesley no matter what, but the incentives created by the actor and his castmates undoubtedly helped.
"The top three donors will receive a 'Vampire Diaries' poster signed by the entire cast, as well as a personal video phone call from me to thank them for their generosity," Wesley added. "I'm also going to go ahead and pick three random donors, and send them a 'Vampire Diaries' poster signed by the entire cast as well."