Man with Multiple Cancers Finds Healing, Thanks to Free Gas Cards
Double Diagnosis
Christopher was diagnosed with kidney cancer in August of 2023. Doctors told him he'd need to have the diseased kidney completely removed. However, Christopher wasn't about to take their bleak answer as his only answer. He talked to one of his friends, a retired medical professional from University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
Per his friend's advice, Christopher got a second opinion. Surgeons at UAB were able to remove just the bad parts of his kidney, rather than the whole organ. Unfortunately, two weeks later, Christopher got a call. And it wasn't good news. He had B-Cell Lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.
New Year, New Struggles
Fast forward to January 2024. The new year had just started for Christopher. He was still struggling with the impact of surgery and two cancer diagnoses in rapid succession. But things were about to get worse.
Christopher began experiencing pain in his groin, which got so bad he couldn't walk much. "Then my neck started swelling," said Christopher, "and my underarms were painful too." These areas on his body held a lot of lymph nodes, which were under attack from the blood cancer. In March, the pain got so bad that he had to stop working.
From Troubles...
Once again, Christopher returned to UAB for help. The oncology team put him on a chemo pill and infusion treatments. There was just one problem. He had to drive to UAB for infusion treatments - a distance of more than 260 miles each way.
The cost of gas was a barrier that Christopher couldn't break through alone. How would he receive the care he needed?
...To Treatment
That was when Christopher found out about Mercy Medical Angels' ground transportation program. He applied for assistance and received free gas cards. Now, he could afford the drives to and from treatment.
"The gas cards you sent have allowed me to travel for many of my appointments," said Christopher. "As I'm on a limited income, I would not have been able to make it there."
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