Mikey's Cancer/Leg Amputation Fund

Michael Walz aka Mikey, is a stand up comedian, caretaker of special needs youth, a writer, an outdoorsman, a musician and we learned October 9th 2018 that he has cancer. It’s a rare form of soft tissue cancer in his leg called Myxoid Liposarcoma that is very hard to diagnose. Because of this, the tumor has had time to grow. The surgical team has concluded that in order to remove the entire tumor and ensure that Mikey will live, his left leg must be amputated on October 31st. Furthermore, to ensure that no cancer remains in his body, he will have to have chemotherapy once he recovers from the leg amputation surgery. The amount and intensity of the chemotherapy regimen will depend on just how aggressive the tumor tissue proves to be, which will be determined when the tumor is extracted on the 31st. The oncology team has informed us that Mikey might need inpatient chemotherapy for several months, which will make returning to work difficult if not impossible for an unknown amount of time.

It’s a sad and frustrating thing that in this extraordinarily challenging time Mikey and his partner Cj must also contend with the financial reality of these treatments, recovery and adaptation to life after an amputation. We are asking that you donate what you can to help us raise $50,000 to cover the following costs:

Medical bills:
         • Any medical expenses not covered by Medi-Cal
         • Physical therapy equipment
Mobility Assistance: Medi-Cal only covers 80% of approved devices and costs range from $5,000 to $50,000 and these need to be repaired every 2-5 years
         • Prosthetic legs (Different activities require different types)
         • Wheelchair
         • Travel to and from
               • chemotherapy treatments
               • surgery
               • follow up appointments
               • prosthesis fittings
               • physical therapy
Loss of income: basic needs will still need to be paid for during Mikey’s recovery. California Disability does not cover income loss for this type of amputation.
         • Groceries
         • Rent
         • Bills
 Alterations to their existing space to make it more accessible for Mikey post-op or moving expenses to a more accessible home.
         • Chair lift
         • Handrails
Modified Recreational Equipment: Mikey has always been an active guy and we intend to get him back to all of his normal activities as soon as possible but that will require specialty equipment. Any funds raised beyond what is needed to get Mikey through this treatment process will go towards supplying him with any adaptive gear he might need to get back to biking, running, kayaking and all the other things he loves to do.