“De-liver me from this peg, friend.”

“De-liver me from this peg, friend.”

For Romeo, parting was such sweet sorrow. For a 25-year-old Wellington man and a single yellow clothes peg, parting is a joy unto itself.

Blogger and freelance journalist Michael Oliver has launched The De-Liver Me From Pegs Sale.

Inspired by the efforts of Canadian Kyle MacDonald, who traded up from a single red paperclip to a two-storey house, Oliver hopes to trade upwards from a single yellow clothes peg, all in the name of charity.

On Monday 17 May, Oliver launched the first of the De-Liver Me From Pegs auctions on TradeMe. It is his hope that in a year’s time, what was once a yellow peg, will soon be something “awesomely magnificent, and magnificently awesome.”

“Just like Kyle MacDonald, I hope to progress from a single yellow clothes peg, to something else, then something else from that, and then something else from that again,” he says.

“In 12 months time, I will auction whatever I’ve traded up to and donate all funds raised to the Immune Deficiencies Foundation of New Zealand (IDFNZ).”

Oliver explains the efforts of IDFNZ plucked a string within him, which until recently, had only a sad tune to offer.

“I was diagnosed with a rare disease called Autoimmune Hepatitis in 2007, and an even rarer illness called Primary sclerosing cholangitis in 2009,” Oliver says.

“The past few years have been something of a downer for me, but I feel the misery of illness is handsomely defeated by reaching over and helping those far worse off than yourself,” he says.

“Where my illnesses are caused by an overzealous immune system attacking my body, those with PIDs struggle with even the most common of colds.”

“Their immune systems struggle to get out of bed, while mine’s naked up a tree, howling at the moon.”

The choice of a yellow peg is one coloured in symbolism.

“I have far too many pegs lying about my flat hither and thither. They’re a little like the antibodies that way. It wouldn’t hurt to get rid of one,” Oliver says.

Oliver will keep tabs of his various acquisitions and trades at his blog www.amanonstage.net

IDFNZ is a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting children, teenagers and adults with diagnosed Primary Immune Deficiency (PID) disorders.

Autoimmune Hepatitis is a rare autoimmune disease, caused by the body’s immune system attacking liver cells, causing chronic inflammation.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis  is an even rarer autoimmune disease, caused by the body’s immune system attacking the bile ducts of the liver.

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