Support Mark's Battle Against Stage 4 Cancer

This is Mark, (lovingly known to me as "Uncle Mark"). He is my dearest friend's only living parent, and her children's only grandfather. After Mark followed my best friend and her family's move from Missouri to Arizona one year ago (in order to stay close to his grandchildren and not miss any milestones), he began working for the school district as a dispatcher and settled in his new desert surroundings. In recent weeks, he started feeling ill, losing his appetite, and became increasingly nauseous. More symptoms followed, including severe back pain which could no longer be ignored. After a visit to the ER, he has been diagnosed with Renal cell carcinoma cancer stage 4. Unfortunately, it appears the cancer has already spread from his kidneys to his stomach, lungs, and bones (tumors were found on his spine, which was causing the extreme back pain).

Though it has only been days since the diagnosis, the medical expenses are already coming in, along with an onset of appointments being made for CT scans, an MRI scan, biopsies, and talks of surgery in hopes of removing the tumors on his spine. In these early conversations with his doctors, radiation seems most likely to follow with the possibility of chemotherapy as well. These expenses will have to come out of pocket in full until his insurance deductible is met, which is $2500. At that point, insurance will begin to cover up to 70 percent of any following medical bills. Unfortunately, his work can only give him 1 week of paid sick leave and the ability for him to return to work anytime in the near future remains unknown. I would like to ask for help for him and his family so he can meet his insurance deductible in hopes of easing at least some of the stress, as they are still dealing with the shock and overwhelm of the diagnosis itself. If possible, we hope to be able to assist him with at least the next 6 months of car payments and help with medications & copays so that he doesn't have that burden on his shoulders while he fights this disease. Any amount at all raised through this fund will go directly towards those expenses.