This incredible, and true story, begins with me browsing eBay as I do so often.

I “watched” a listing above as it was an interesting lot: 2 full-colored jokers that appeared to be Bicycle Jokers. I sent the seller a message with about 12hrs left on the clock of the auction and forgot about it.

After waking up the next morning, I found a message from the seller stating:

“They were printed in 1998 – they were for a deck of trick cards printed by the USPCC and 15,000 were printed.”

Intrigued I went to the item’s listing to bid but to my sad surprise, the listing had ended. I jokingly replied “Guess I was asleep when this lot ended – got more?” after which the seller told me to send a cheque to his address and he’d send me a set. Thing is, I live in the Netherlands… and we don’t do cheques anymore.

The reply I received was a bit surprising:

“Give me your address….. I will send them – You donate $4 to a charity of your choice”

Thinking nothing of it I replied with my address and requested their PayPal email address, but didn’t hear back.

Today, on the 31st of July, 2019 I opened my mailbox and found an envelope. Inside this envelope, you guessed it, where two pristine colored Bicycle Jokers that the seller promised to send me. Free of charge.

Faith in humanity: restored.

Now, for my part of the deal. The donation to a charity of my choice.

I was born with a bilateral cleft lip AND cleft palate. I’ve had surgery over 35 times in the first 18 years of my life.

When I turned 10/11 I started hearing about children being disposed of (literally: thrown in the garbage) due to this condition in less developed countries. My main surgeon, who gave me the face I have today, used to spend his hard-earned holidays in these less developed countries to “stitch lips” as I always say it. It doesn’t have to look pretty, it has to be functional. Which is what he did for hundreds if not thousands of children.

A few years ago I found Operation Smile. They give life-changing surgeries to children with these cleft lips and cleft palates and I decided that this was the charity of my choice.

To the person who sent me these cards. It sparked a trigger that will – hopefully – change a life somewhere in the world instead of it being lost.

Thank you.