Baltimore rallies to support cancer-stricken doctor who treats patients regardless of ability to pay
BALTIMORE —
The community stepped up in a big way to help a cancer-stricken Baltimore doctor who's known for treating patients, regardless of whether they can pay.
Dr. Michael Zollicoffer and his father have treated thousands of patients in northwest Baltimore, from pediatrics to geriatrics, for decades.
Daryell Cooper has been seeing Zollicoffer since she was a child. Now, her three children are under his care.
"(He's) always there when you need him, night or day. I can text him in the wee hours of the morning: 'I need to come in now, I'm sick.' He'll say, 'Girl, get in here in the morning,'" Cooper told 11 News.
Zollicoffer treats his patients despite their insurance status and an inability to pay.
But then, the doctor became the patient upon his diagnosis of colorectal cancer in October, and he found himself without insurance because of a Medicare issue.
The medical industry didn't share Zollicoffer's generosity. Instead, doctors told him radiation could not start unless he paid up front.
"They said, 'You self-pay. So, we're going to tell you how much it is per month, which was $150,000. And, then, we'll need half of it down.' So, they needed between $60,000 and $75,000," Zollicoffer told 11 News.
That's money he didn't have sitting around. But the community rallied around him, including Michael Hayne, a friend from high school who started an online fundraiser.
"Dr. Z does not ride around in a Mercedes. He does not live in a 5,000-square-foot house in Homeland. He lives in Sandtown-Winchester, and he treats people in the community," Hayne told 11 News.
Zollicoffer said, for him, practicing medicine has never been about money.
"I just live day to day, month to month, just helping people. No, (I'm not a) rich doctor. I'm still in Baltimore, right at Lafayette and Fulton, right in Freddie Gray's neighborhood, taking care of people," Zollicoffer said, referencing Gray, who died in 2015 while in police custody.
A native of Baltimore, Zollicoffer followed in the footsteps of his father, Lawrence Zollicoffer, who was one of four men to integrate the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, a school where the younger Zollicoffer would also graduate.
Even with his diagnosis, Zollicoffer still teaches, sees patients and remains upbeat.
"I take the battles, but I'm not going to change my temperament," Zollicoffer told 11 News. "I'll take on the challenges, but I'm still going to be kind and laugh and have fun with the patients. You just got to fight. I don't give up.""I'm still going to be kind and laugh and have fun with the patients. You just got to fight."
Months after his diagnosis, Zollicoffer has now completed one month of treatment. His health insurance issues have since worked out, and his patients have been more than happy to donate to his cause.
"Dr. Z is the best doctor in the entire state of Maryland," Cooper told 11 News.
The money raised from his online fundraiser that the doctor doesn't need will go back into his clinic.
The irony of the situation is not lost on him.
The community stepped up in a big way to help a cancer-stricken Baltimore doctor who's known for treating patients, regardless of whether they can pay.
Dr. Michael Zollicoffer and his father have treated thousands of patients in northwest Baltimore, from pediatrics to geriatrics, for decades.
Daryell Cooper has been seeing Zollicoffer since she was a child. Now, her three children are under his care.
"(He's) always there when you need him, night or day. I can text him in the wee hours of the morning: 'I need to come in now, I'm sick.' He'll say, 'Girl, get in here in the morning,'" Cooper told 11 News.
Zollicoffer treats his patients despite their insurance status and an inability to pay.
But then, the doctor became the patient upon his diagnosis of colorectal cancer in October, and he found himself without insurance because of a Medicare issue.
The medical industry didn't share Zollicoffer's generosity. Instead, doctors told him radiation could not start unless he paid up front.
"They said, 'You self-pay. So, we're going to tell you how much it is per month, which was $150,000. And, then, we'll need half of it down.' So, they needed between $60,000 and $75,000," Zollicoffer told 11 News.
That's money he didn't have sitting around. But the community rallied around him, including Michael Hayne, a friend from high school who started an online fundraiser.
"Dr. Z does not ride around in a Mercedes. He does not live in a 5,000-square-foot house in Homeland. He lives in Sandtown-Winchester, and he treats people in the community," Hayne told 11 News.
Zollicoffer said, for him, practicing medicine has never been about money.
"I just live day to day, month to month, just helping people. No, (I'm not a) rich doctor. I'm still in Baltimore, right at Lafayette and Fulton, right in Freddie Gray's neighborhood, taking care of people," Zollicoffer said, referencing Gray, who died in 2015 while in police custody.
A native of Baltimore, Zollicoffer followed in the footsteps of his father, Lawrence Zollicoffer, who was one of four men to integrate the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, a school where the younger Zollicoffer would also graduate.
Even with his diagnosis, Zollicoffer still teaches, sees patients and remains upbeat.
"I take the battles, but I'm not going to change my temperament," Zollicoffer told 11 News. "I'll take on the challenges, but I'm still going to be kind and laugh and have fun with the patients. You just got to fight. I don't give up."
"I'm still going to be kind and laugh and have fun with the patients. You just got to fight."
Months after his diagnosis, Zollicoffer has now completed one month of treatment. His health insurance issues have since worked out, and his patients have been more than happy to donate to his cause.
"Dr. Z is the best doctor in the entire state of Maryland," Cooper told 11 News.
The money raised from his online fundraiser that the doctor doesn't need will go back into his clinic.
The irony of the situation is not lost on him.
"The man who champions himself to fix the system got slapped in the face with the same thing he challenges. It's just amazing," Zollicoffer told 11 News.
