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Doctor gives free care to his patients in need; then when cancer struck him, and he could not pay, they came to his rescue.
In a poor inner-city Baltimore neighborhood, there is a doctor who has long treated patients regardless of their ability to pay.
For nearly 40-years, Dr. Michael Zollicoffer, a 66-year-old family practitioner, fondly known as Dr. Z to his patients, is available to help them 24 hours, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
For after-hours treatment, they have his cell phone number.
"Forget that dollar bill," Dr. Z told Steve Hartman of CBS. "I'm going to see you no matter what. You walk in that door; you will be seen. You bring your grandma with you, I'll see her, too."
But then tragedy struck this great doctor.
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He was diagnosed with cancer. "I've got 2 separate cancers - one renal [kidney] and one rectal - but I don't give up," Dr. Z told Steve Hartman.
Worse yet, because of paperwork complications, he did not have sufficient insurance, even with his Medicare plan to pay for his treatments.
Then his patients rescued him. Through a crowd funding campaign, they raised over $100,000!
But the cost of his care skyrocketed to $150,000!
So friends, Michael Haynie and Maya Wright started a GoFundMe campaign online, which raised nearly $300,000! Dr. Z could focus on getting well, and getting back to his patients.
Dr. Michael Zollicoffer with Steve Hartman of CBS News. Photo: gofundme.com/
Today, he is better. And he resolved his insurance issues. Dr. Z will put the excess funds into the community, for this is where he has invested his life.
His view of his community? He tearfully told Steve Hartman, "We are about giving! I can't make it without them, nor can they make it without me."
Editor's note:
To learn more cbsnews.com and goodnewsnetwork.org.
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