Doctor starts GoFundMe page for cancer patient
Dr. Mark Roby |
Last year, he was diagnosed with lung cancer, suffered a stroke and was injured in a home accident. All of which added up to a huge pile of medical bills, in the midst of a world-wide pandemic.
Now, he is not only battling for his life, but to keep his apartment and his car.
“Ted's story is one that's close to home for me,” said Dr. Mark Roby, an integrative physician who works in Novi. “As a cancer survivor myself, I know all too well the challenges that come with fighting this battle. I suffered near bankruptcy just to pay the medical bills, and I never would have made it through if it weren't for the help of friends. Now, I want to help Ted.”
Roby has launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help Kaschuk.
Ted Kaschuk |
“I know he's a survivor,” said Roby. “He is certainly an inspiration to me.” Roby himself was diagnosed with a “terminal” sarcoma in 2002. Doctors gave him only months to live. But Roby fought back, and researched ways to take charge of his cancer care. He is now trying to help Kaschuk do the same.
Last May, 2020, Kaschuk was admitted to the hospital for stomach trouble. That resulted in the diagnosis of lung cancer that needed immediate treatment. He went through radiation treatments, and is now undergoing a long stretch of chemotherapy. While under treatment, he also suffered a stroke in August, and this Christmas he fell and broke his hand while unplugging his Christmas tree lights.
Kaschuk works as a freight handler at Home Depot and can't return to work until his hand heals and he is stronger, he said. He also needs help with the considerable medical bills that are accumulating, as well as rent and living costs.
“We think we've got this life and that we can go on and on, and then all of a sudden you realize you might die tomorrow,” Kaschuk said. “We don't realize how quick it can happen.”
“It takes a village to help a cancer patient,” Roby said. “If you haven't had cancer, you might not know the toll it takes both financially and physically. I do, and every day I watch others with cancer fight the same war. Please donate so that Ted can continue to win his battle with cancer.”
For more information, contact Roby at (248) 318-8775 or email cancerstrategist@yahoo.com <mailto:cancerstrategist@yahoo.com>
Roby is an integrative medicine physician, a cancer strategist, speaker, and bestselling author. He is also the cofounder of the Metro Detroit Center for Attitudinal Healing.