Help Mike Downey and His Family Through His Cancer Fight

If you know Mike Downey, you know he is the kind of person who would quite literally give you the shirt off his back.

Mike is hardworking, selfless, and has spent much of his life helping others. Family, friends, coworkers, patients, or complete strangers, it doesn't really matter. When someone needs something, Mike shows up. Usually without being asked and never expecting anything in return.

Now, Mike and his family need people to show up for them.

After several weeks of worsening abdominal pain, Mike noticed that he had become jaundiced after returning home from a critical call. He went to his primary care provider and was immediately sent to the emergency room.

Testing revealed a blockage of his bile duct, enlarged abdominal lymph nodes, and more than 20 lesions on his liver concerning for metastatic cancer. Mike was transferred to Detroit for specialized testing and treatment. His medical team continues working to determine the full extent of his cancer and the best path forward.

In what feels like an instant, life changed for Mike, his wife April, and their children, Logan, Kenzi and Sereniti.

There are appointments, procedures, travel and treatment ahead. There will be time away from work and reduced income for both Mike and April. Meanwhile, the mortgage, vehicle payments, utilities, groceries and all of the normal expenses of raising a family don't stop. Neither do the new expenses that come with traveling for specialized medical care and undergoing cancer treatment.

For a guy who has spent his life helping everyone else, being on the receiving end isn't going to come naturally.

So we're going to do the asking for him.

This GoFundMe has been created to help take some of that weight off Mike and April's shoulders. Donations will help with household expenses, lost income, transportation and travel for medical care, medical expenses, and whatever else their family needs as Mike begins this fight.

Our goal is simple. Let Mike focus on fighting cancer and let April focus on Mike and their kids without having to worry about how they're going to keep everything else moving.

If you know Mike personally, you already know the kind of man we're talking about. If you've worked in fire or EMS in Northern Michigan, there's a good chance Mike has crossed your path somewhere along the way. And if you've never met him, just know that you're helping someone who has spent a whole lot of his life helping other people on some of their worst days.

If you're able to donate, thank you. If you aren't able to give financially, sharing this fundraiser and keeping Mike, April, Logan, Kenzi and Sereniti in your thoughts and prayers means more than you know.

We'll continue to share updates as Mike's doctors learn more and his treatment plan becomes clearer.

For years, Mike has been the person who shows up when someone else needs him.

Now it's our turn to show up for Mike.