All of us saw Joanie Spina walk onto the MAGIC Live! stage this year with a 90 foot hose to her oxygen tank. What many of us didn't know was what that was all about, how sick she has been and how long she has endured her illness. Then on September 26th, Robin Leach published an article in the Las Vegas Sun that gave us some insight. You can Click Here to read the article and view additional pictures. Moreover, the article told about the generosity of so many from the Las Vegas magic community, and beyond, that came together this past February 2013 to aid her in her time of financial need. But it was her former employer, David Copperfield who "stepped up" and delivered "big time". She has been cancer-free for five years but still unable to get on the lung transplant list. Moreover, she has been unable to work for at least the past year. Many efforts that might seem mundane to us leaves her breathless and exhausted for days. In fact, she is still "recovering" from her participation at MAGIC Live! which was over two months ago.



Joanie said that although she can "breathe easier" for a while because of the generosity of David Copperfield and so many people, she also mentioned that Joan Lawton works with the Dai Vernon Foundation that helps with those who are in financial need. In addition to directing and counseling magicians and improving their stage acts, Joanie is passionate about animal rights. She is an outspoken proponent of getting pets spayed and neutered. In our podcast, she also talks about the feral chihuahua problems in Las Vegas. Some years ago Joanie recorded a documentary about the importance of having animals spay and neutered. You can view clips from the film at: http://borntodiepets.com and http://hcws.org In this podcast, Joanie talks about all these things and more. But most importantly, she wants to thank all those who have supported her with thoughts, prayers, cards, letters and finances. To read her open letter of gratitude to David Copperfield, Click Here to read that direct link on her Facebook page.



You can reach her at joanie@joaniespina.com or learn more information on what she can do for you, visit her website at http://JoanieSpina.com



Time stamps for this podcast:

00:00:08 - Joanie Spina talks about her health, the fundraiser, her association with David Copperfield, her work for animal rights, and more



00:58:28 - Stan Allen talks about the fundraiser he was involved with to help Joanie

01:08:08 - Stan gives us a preview of what to expect in the November 2013 issue of MAGIC Magazine