How To Save A Life

Dr. Reverend Charlemagne (Ben) Otto,

born December 31, 1962 in Klerksdorp, South Africa. At the age of 10,  his family immigrated to Toronto, Canada where his parents, Justice and Margarete Otto, aided in establishing and shepherding a congregation, Members In Christ Assemblies.

Ben knew at a young age that he wanted to devote his life to serving God, by fulfilling the Christian mission and spreading the message of Christ,  evangelism, and humanitarian work, especially amongst the poor and disadvantaged.

In pursuit of his life's purpose, Ben decided to attend the University of Toronto, where he would graduate with a Bachelors of Arts.  His love of education led him to Tyndale University and College Seminary, where he obtained a Masters of Divinity, a Masters of Theological Studies, and later a Doctrine of Ministry. Ben is currently the sole pastor of his life-long congregation MICA, a position he has proudly served in for the last 29 years.

In addition to Ben's educational and professional aspirations, he also joined the Toronto Police Services as an Auxiliary Officer.  Over the years, he moved up in rankings, serving with 41, 42, 43 and 54 Division. He has been apart of the "Blue Family" for the last 26 years. Ben currently holds the position of Auxiliary Staff Sargent with 41 Division and has recently received special recognition of his 26 years of service.

Ben is a loving and devoted father to his four adult children; Margarete Otto, Benjamin Otto, Justice Otto, Melanie Shaban, and grandfather to Arianna Christopher.

On Saturday, September 29, 2018, Ben received devastating news that he had a tumor on his brain. He was quickly transferred to Toronto Western Hospital, where he underwent 5 hours of brain surgery to remove the tumor. While this operation was successful in removing the tumor without causing damager to any cognitive, visual, or motor skills, Ben was still yet to receive the results of the toxicology report.

On Thursday, October 18, 2018, Ben endured another painful blow in discovering his diagnosis. Glioblastoma is an aggressive form of brain cancer that, without treatment, could be fatal in as little as 1 to 3 years. Upon receiving this news, Ben and his team of doctors developed a strategic and customized treatment plan including both radiation and chemo-therapy pills. He plans to undergo six weeks of treatment; radiation occurring Monday to Friday at the Princess Margaret Hospital as well as orally administered chemo pills on the weekends.

Once this session of treatment has concluded, he will have the opportunity to re-cooperate for one month. Depending, on how his body responds to the first round of treatment, he may or may not have to do a second round of radiation and chemo-therapy. If his body responds well, he will be able to reduce to chemo-therapy only as a sole form of treatment.

We have faith that God will place his hand over Ben although, while we are expecting full healing, in the interim Ben will be responsible to pay for his chemo medication, costing approximately $2,000 per week, over a six week treatment cycle. We are estimating a total cost between $12 - $22,000 CAD, over a three month period of time.

Help us raise the money to cover the cost of Ben's chemo medication. Help us give back to a man who has devoted his life to servings others. Let us be a light in a time of darkness, and come together as a community to show love and appreciation for his work and personal mission of spreading God's love.

Please feel free to share this with your friends and family. If you have any questions or require further information, please contact Margarete Otto via e-mail e-mail: [email redacted]