Financial Assistance for Dad's Late-Stage Cancer

My name is Ariel Tobing and I'm a cook currently living in Philadelphia, PA. Some of you may know me from my time at Poi Dog, Frizwit, Juana Tamale, or the numerous restaurants, local businesses, and galleries I've worked with as an illustrator, designer, and painter. But this isn't about me, so much as it's about:

My father, Rafael Tobing (pictured above, on his most recent birthday), who was surprisingly diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer on January 12, 2022. For now there's evidence of cancer in his colon, liver, and lymph nodes, though the full-picture will require further testing. (I will update this page with relevant information regarding his treatment as time goes on.)

As we're in the early stages of beginning to plan a way to tackle his illness I don't have concrete numbers regarding treatment, but I'm sure anyone in the United States understands the mountainous financial burden that any interaction with our healthcare system is bound to generate. I've seen quotes for monthly chemotherapy running in the $15,000-range, and lord knows we'll be doing a hell of a lot of that.

As always with this sort of thing, any amount helps! Even sharing this campaign is a valuable way of showing support. My extended family has offered up their own support and financial assistance, but any amount of further help from the community would lessen the burden on all of us.

Thanks, and much love!

Ariel Tobing