Help Mike Fight Cancer with Strength and Dignity
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(Note for donors: GoFundMe charges a 2.9% fee, which covers the cost of administration so no tip is required. When you click to donate, there will be a slider under the donation amount for a tip, which you can slide to zero.)
Michael Morrow is a veteran journalist of the Vietnam War era. He has spent much of his life in Asia, most recently in Mongolia, where he has founded and is currently serving as the Executive Director of the Mongolian Artisan Cheesemakers Union.
Now, just as he reaches his 80th year, Mike is facing one of his greatest challenges: a diagnosis of throat cancer.
In early June, Mike traveled to Seoul, South Korea, to begin treatment at Yonsei Severance Hospital. After extensive testing, doctors found that the cancer has not spread beyond his throat and neck nodes, and as such he is a candidate for aggressive and very promising immunotherapy coupled with standard therapies giving him a much better chance of either cure or prolonged survival with better quality of life and ability to return to the things he loves to do. His lead oncologist and care team there have recommended intensive course of immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy over the next several months, with a possibility of surgery depending upon how well the non-invasive treatments work to prevent spread and to shrink or destroy the existing disease. Mike is otherwise very healthy and so he has a chance to respond well to the new miracle of cancer immunotherapy. Mike does not have insurance benefits, nor is he a candidate for the clinical trial that can cover the necessary expenses for cancer care.
The total cost during this first treatment phase of about 3-4 months — including the immuno-chemotherapy and radiation therapy, hospital stays and outpatient visits, other medications, testing and screening such as serial imaging, and necessary travel and lodging — is expected to exceed $80,000 USD.
This fundraiser is a way for friends, family, and supporters to help cover these necessary life-saving expenses. Without the immunotherapy component, his prognosis would otherwise be much worse and traditional care debilitating.
Mike has spent his life building bridges between cultures and supporting others through his work. Despite his age, he remains the key man in important, innovative community development and conservation activities in remote areas across Mongolia. He also has a nine-year-old daughter still at home and dependent on him.
Now, we have the chance to support him. Any amount you can give is deeply appreciated—and so is your kindness in sharing his rather amazing life story, which has continued with his work giving opportunities in the traditional herdsman cultures of Mongolia.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
(Note for donors: GoFundMe charges a 2.9% fee, which covers the cost of administration so no tip is required. When you click to donate, there will be a slider under the donation amount for a tip, which you can slide to zero.)
Learn more about Mike:
Full Biography and Blogs (mike-morrow.net)
Co-organizers (2)
Jean Joh
Organizer
Millbrae, CA
Richard Joh
Co-organizer