My name is Michael Vitek, and I’m fighting one of the rarest cancers in the world: extra-axial chordoma. I’m the only known person to ever develop this cancer in the foot, and over the last five years, it has returned again and again—now spreading into multiple tumors in my lungs.

My journey has been filled with challenges. In 2020, the first tumor was removed from my foot. In 2023, the cancer returned, leading to an amputation. By 2024, it had spread to my lungs, requiring surgery. Now, in 2025, I’m facing multiple new lung tumors, and surgery is no longer an option. I’m starting a stage II clinical trial on December 5th and may need radiation in the future. There is no cure for chordoma, but I refuse to stop fighting for more time with my wife, my son, my family and friends, my students, and my team.

The financial strain from repeated surgeries, constant scans, recovery time, missing work, and uncovered expenses has become overwhelming. Your donation will directly support ongoing treatments and scans, help with lost wages and medical expenses, and provide stability for my family during this fight.

What keeps me going is my love for teaching, coaching, and most importantly, being a husband and a father. My biggest dream is simple: to see my son grow up, to watch him graduate, to see him get married, and to hold my future grandchildren. I’m fighting for that future, and with your help, I still have a chance.

To everyone who has supported me before—you carried me through some of the darkest moments of my life. If you can help again, I am endlessly grateful. If you can’t, please pray for my family and share my story. Thank you for giving me strength. Thank you for giving me hope. Thank you for standing with me in this fight.

Thanks, and Gig ’Em. – Michael