Jamie Gilbert: A Real-Life Harry Potter

Here is an article written on Jamie Gilbert by Jamie himself, because this article captures the way Jamie saw the world... and his magical role in it.

The article originally appeared at http://www.ikidney.com/iKidney/Community/JustForFun/Quilt/GilbertJamie.htm and has since been removed.

I am reproducing the article here in good faith, and in the hope that this helps in communicating to the world Jamie's message.

Nakul

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Jamie Gilbert

- A Real-Life Harry Potter

By Jamie Gilbert

Despite having lived with, and nearly dying from, kidney disease and renal failure since the age of five, I became known as a master magician (someone who mentors other young magicians) and am the President of my local magician's club. I work with doves and rabbits, have sawed a woman in half, and made a large airplane disappear. I have been honored by a Member of Parliament, the Kidney Foundation of Canada, and the Canadian Prime Minister, who called me a real-life Harry Potter.

But my greatest joy has been in entertaining critically ill adults and children. Every year, I perform at a hospital and rehabilitation center for transplant and other patients. The mother of a little girl waiting for a heart transplant and who died the day following my performance just for her said my magic gave them just a little bit of hope.

Not bad for someone who has lived with kidney disease for more than a quarter of a century!

The Early Years

I was born, raised, and still live in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, a city of around 194,000 people. Because it is located on a strip of land shaped like a thumb, it is actually only a five-minute drive north to Detroit, MI. It's around a four-hour drive from Toronto and about five hours from Chicago, IL, and is smack dab in the middle of North America's Great Lakes system. Like Detroit, it has a heavy automotive industry.

I am actually the youngest of 11 siblings. Both my Mom and Dad were married before, so my siblings were half-sisters and half-brothers. My Dad was American and my Mom Canadian. My family is scattered across the US and Canada.

I was born with high blood pressure, which was probably what killed off my kidney. I have been sick with kidney disease since the age of five (I am now 31). Since I spent so much time with doctors and in the hospital, I couldn't really go anywhere. I was very tired and weak and throwing up a lot and not eating. I often had drops in my blood pressure, and that still happens today. I always think I am going to pass out.

When I was six or seven and in the hospital, my parents got me a magic kit at a yard sale. Even though some of the major components of the kit were missing, I fell in love with it. It was how I was bitten by the magic bug.

Dialysis and Magic

Even though I had been sick with kidney disease since I was five years old, I did not begin dialysis treatments until I was 18 or 19. I began my treatments at Grace Hospital in Windsor. My treatments were for 3.5 hours three times a week. When hospitals began closing in Canada, my dialysis unit was moved to Hotel-Dieu Hospital. While on dialysis, I had two strokes and a minor heart attack from too much fluid buildup around my heart and lungs.

Believe me when I say that growing up with renal failure wasn't easy. The high school kids were mean. They called me "the kidney kid," which I hated. My self-esteem went out the window, and I was depressed nearly 24/7, especially as a kid growing up with this disease. Then, more than 10 years ago, I discovered our local magician's club. It was great because they accepted me for who I was. They liked the same things I did, and it was really neat.

One year, I became Librarian of the Windsor Magic Circle Ring 116 for a few years. I started really working on my magic in a serious way and met really cool friends. Then I became Sergeant-at-Arms for a few years, then Vice President, then President. I am still President of the club, which was founded in 1951. One prominent magician, Jerry Deneweth, took me under his wing and started teaching me dove magic.

Hollywood and Magic

Most people think that celebrities like David Copperfield are the most famous magicians to other magicians, but they are not. He's so well known because he has been on television a lot. I've met Abb Dixon, a world-famous magician who mostly entertains for children. I've also met former world magic champion Oscar Monduz.

In addition, I performed my magic for famed Hollywood horror movie director John Carpenter. Carpenter is perhaps best known as the director of such films as "The Thing" and the "Halloween" series. My magic show for Carpenter was performed at the Detroit Opera House, where there was an anniversary showing of "Halloween." My wife, from whom I am now separated, and I and another couple had dinner with Carpenter and learned a little about the magic of filmmaking.

Magic Shows

Currently, my magic shows include:

• A Voyage to a Magical Land;
• Magical Harry Potter Show;
• Say "NO" to Smoking Magic Show;
• I Like to Read Magic Show;
• Normal Magic and Fun Show (Basic Show); and
• Jamie-G's Super Star Show (Doves), plus many more shows to fit anyone's needs.

"Big Illusions"

I also do the big illusions you see on TV and make things disappear. We have a big airplane in Windsor called the Lancaster Bomber. It's mounted on a rack in the park. It's a huge bomber from World War II. I made that plane vanish.

In one of my shows, I have a large box that a woman gets into. There are holes cut for her head, hands, and feet. I take two blades and stick them through her, then push the whole middle part of her body out. I also do what's called a metamorphosis. There's a big crate on the stage. Then, with handcuffs, shackles, or even a straitjacket, I get inside a bag, which is tied tightly and placed inside the big wooden crate or box. The lid is closed and locked. Then the assistant jumps on top of the box, lifts up the curtain and throws it into the air, revealing the magician, but leaving the assistant locked in the box. I also do a sword through the neck trick.
I also love dove magic. In this show, I produce a dove from a silk handkerchief. In my adult show, I produce a dove from nowhere. Then I "chop" the dove in half and put it back together again. Following that, I turn the one dove into three or four doves, then turn all four doves into a rabbit. I also hypnotize a dove.

Transplant and Magic

In 1998, I received a call from London Hospital that a kidney was waiting for me. I received a cadaveric kidney, but was in and out of that hospital for eight months until they managed to get my creatinine to a normal level.

While I was in the hospital, I did some magic for a little girl waiting for a heart who died the next day. I performed my tricks with a stuffed animal that magicians use. His name is Rocky, the Raccoon. He moves around like he is a real raccoon. It's like a puppet. The little girl loved it. My performance gave her mother just a little bit of hope. It was awesome.

While I was in and out of the hospital, I lived for eight months at a bed-and-breakfast (B&B) place called Mount St. Joseph's, which is a residence for all the retired nuns in Ontario. There was a wing of rooms reserved for people like transplant patients who had to go to the university hospital. When I was in the hospital, I made sure I had my magic with me because there's not much else to do. Word quickly got around that there was a magician in the hospital. I stayed at the B&B for my rehabilitation period. Every year since, they have invited me back to perform at their annual Christmas party.

The transplant lasted for six years. When I returned home to Windsor, I was doing pretty well, despite a creatinine level that was still pretty high but good enough to enable me to stay off dialysis. Then I caught a parasite called cryptosporidium from the drinking water. I was told I was the first transplant patient in the city who caught that parasite. It's a bug that gets into your bowel, causing so much diarrhea that you are constantly dehydrated. When I was getting tested for this thing, the doctors thought I had HIV. They hadn't tested for that parasite for about 20 years. I took special medication for several months, which got rid of the parasite. Unfortunately, the parasite may have gotten rid of my new kidney. I have been back on dialysis ever since, but plan to be back on the transplant list soon.

"Everybody Loves Magic"

Being a magician is a great icebreaker when you meet people. I don't care what anyone says, but everybody loves magic. It can be vanishing a penny or producing a bird. I do everything and have been collecting magic tricks for over 20 years.

The Magic Harry Potter Show is one of my presentations for children. I mix dove, close-up, and stage magic. It's a blend of a lot of magic, but I don't make it look like I am the one doing the magic. I bring the kids up and let them do it. At the end of the show, I make one little boy or girl an honorary magician. I put them in a wizard's costume with glasses. I got this picture of a silk with a top hat on it. I tell the kids I am going to do a magic trick. Then, if they can do the trick, I will not only make them a magician, but will give them a certificate and a magic kit as well. I show them this picture of the silk with top hat, front to back. Believe it or not, I reach inside the top hat and pull out a different colored handkerchief with a picture of a rabbit on it. So, it looks like I pulled a rabbit out of a hat! Next, I take the silk of the rabbit and place it inside an empty yellow box. Then I close the box doors and tell the child that, if he/she can change that silk to any other color, I'd make him/her an honorary magician.

During the show, I'd pull out a wand from a whole bunch of magic wands. The child was asked to spin the wand around, then tap the box with it. When I give them the wand, however, it breaks into a hundred pieces in front of everyone. Well, that wasn't supposed to happen! So, I get a back-up wand and show them how to spin it and tap the box, That wand also breaks. Next, I bring out an Oriental fan and tell the kids to wave it over the box. The fan also breaks. Eventually, I get them to use a magic word like "Abracadabra!" or "Hocus-pocus!" When they wave their hands and I open the box, the silk turns into a real bunny. That's when the child becomes an honorary magician.

I also invented a dragon effect in which it appears that flames are shooting from my hands. Additionally, I create a lot of effects I supply to magicians all around the world. Last year, I produced 400 magic effects for magicians. At one time, I was spitting out about 10 of these effects a day and shipping them to magicians. I send most of my stuff to the computer ring magicians (see below).

IBM, MP, and PM

For a number of years now, I have been a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM). IBM has its Ring 2100 on the Internet with around 3,000 worldwide members. I started getting popular with other magicians on this computer ring. While on Ring 2100, I talked about my health and being on dialysis. Some IBM members wanted to throw a surprise party for me. I got a call from a friend I met on Ring 2100 who lives in Toronto. He told me that they wanted to put on a show for the Kidney Foundation in Toronto and asked if I wanted to perform magic at the show. I said, "Sure." The date was February 22, 2004.

When I arrived at the big theater in Toronto, I discovered it was not a show for the Kidney Foundation, but a surprise party for me! At the time, I was really sick, and my transplanted kidney was causing a lot of problems. I performed first. The Member of Parliament (MP) for Toronto is Bryan Wilfred. He took the stage and announced an award to Jamie-G, my stage name. It was a certificate signed by him. I was shocked. I even started crying. It was very emotional.

Here are a few excerpts from the certificate: "As [an MP], it is with distinct pleasure to extend my appreciation to Jamie Gilbert for his… Jamie-G Staying Alive with Magic Show… On behalf of our community, I would like to thank Jamie-G for carrying the torch for many of those who are in desperate need of organ transplants. Your contribution to this worthy cause will always be [held in the] highest regard."

There was also a certificate from Paul Martin, the Canadian Prime Minister. This was when he compared me to a real-life Harry Potter.

"It is fitting that, tonight, you have gathered to honor magician Jamie Gilbert," the PM's certificate read. "His professional achievements and his many contributions to the community-particularly his support for children who have experienced serious trauma or cancer-are most deserving of this tribute. I join with you in commending his generosity and spirit."

"My Favorite Trick"

My favorite trick involves showing this net back-to-back with a see-through mesh front. Then I place a white handkerchief inside the net. The net is closed while the handkerchief is in full view the entire time. Then it instantly turns into a live dove. I have performed this trick many times.

Another trick involves showing a newspaper front-to-back, from which I produce a long broadsword. Then I produce a bird on the end of the sword.

A Simple Trick

There's a simple magic trick not only dialysis patients can do, but someone with only one arm can perform. It's a beautiful effect. I had to get permission to reveal the rope trick, called the Appearing Knot.

While performing the trick, the magician shows a rope in his hand, telling the audience he is going to magically produce a knot in the rope. The rope is brought end-to-end, then wiggled and dropped down, but nothing happens. The magician looks at the rope as if something is wrong. The rope is brought back up, and the magician is holding it with one hand end-for-end. One end of the rope is dropped, but, again, nothing happens. Shock! The third time, the rope is brought back up, and the magician blows on it. This time, when the rope is dropped, a knot appears on the end of the rope.

The secret is simple: when you hold the rope in your hand, and it is hanging down, the knot is on top of the rope hidden by your hand. When you bring the rope up and drop the end, you simply drop the end without the knot. When you are ready to produce the knot after bringing the rope back up, you just drop the other end, and there is the knot. It's a bit shocking because the audience doesn't know where the knot came from.

Conclusion

Because I was so ill, I was told many times not to get into magic. Most dialysis patients are on disability and are expected to sit at home and rot. That's absolutely wrong. That's how patients are going to die. If you have dreams, then go out and make them a reality. If people are telling you not to do something you really want to do, just leave them in the dust.

I would say to every patient: "Go out and follow your dreams." I can't tell you how many personal friends I knew on dialysis for years actually died right in front of me. I thought maybe I would die next on the machine. It may not be a wonderful life, but you might as well have fun if you can. Patients can't just stay at home. They have to get out. When I received my transplant, the doctor told me that, when I woke up, I would have a new life. You know what? He was right! After six years, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

-March 2005