Even if Paul Gibbs could find a kidney, he had no idea how he would pay $79,000 to have it transplanted.

Luckily Gibbs is a frequent player in the Salt Lake City theater community, which is not only helping him pay for his surgery, but found him a kidney. Ryan Poole, who met Gibbs while performing at Hale Centre Theatre, will donate his kidney to Gibbs in May.

Gibbs, 34, suffers from bilateral ureteral reflux, which has damaged both of his kidneys beyond repair.

When his identical twin, Patrick, was ruled out as a suitable match due to his own health problems, Gibbs' friends from the theater community lined up in droves to be tested. So many volunteered, the transplant clinic asked Paul to tell his friends to stop calling.

Poole was found to be a match, meaning Gibbs now had to find a way to pay. A full-time student at Salt Lake Community College, Gibbs works part time at the Clark Planetarium, which leaves him ineligible for health insurance.

His doctors estimated it would cost $79,000 to pay for a kidney out of pocket. Being in end-stage kidney failure qualifies Gibbs for Medicare, which will cover much of the cost, but he will still have to pay several thousand dollars out of pocket, and will have to take expensive immunosupressant drugs for the rest of his life.

Neither Gibbs nor Poole qualify for short-term disability benefits during their recovery, leaving both without pay for several weeks.

Once again, the theater community swept in to the rescue. Patrick was desperate to help in some way after being turned down as a donor, and he decided to put on a fundraiser, dubbed Paul-A-Palooza.

Patrick had contacts at the Off-Broadway Theater, whose improv comedy troupe, Laughing Stock, agreed to perform.

Other friends signed up to do stand-up comedy. Local bands Voodoo Box and the Heathen Highlanders, who play bagpipes, signed on, as did several other bands. The Woodshed, at 60 E. 800 South, agreed to host the event, with 100 percent of the cover charge going to benefit Gibbs and Poole.

Megaplex theaters, Off-Broadway Theater and Hale Center Theatre all donated ticket packages as raffle prizes.

Patrick was hopeful he could raise as much as $1,000, though realistically he thought it would be more like $700. But at the end of the night, more than $2,500 had been collected.

The Heathen Highlanders bounced around to Salt Lake's Irish and Scottish bars and were able to raise an additional $500.

The money raised will help pay the out of pocket expenses accrued in the surgeries, and hopefully cover some of their lost pay. But Gibbs will be paying around $500 a month in immunosupressant drugs for the rest of his life, which he hopes will be long, thanks to Poole's generosity.

So many acts volunteered to be part of the fundraiser, Patrick plans to host another event soon. For now, the family is accepting donations at a Web site, and hoping the surgery can take place soon. If all goes according to plan, Paul will be around to perform for many years to come.

kdrake@sltrib.com