“KJ Belch”, has been a local and popular, some would say famous, Karaoke DJ here in the Plano/Frisco area, for over 15 years. Last year he woke up at the usual time of day but had unusual chest pains. It felt like a human being was standing on his chest. It was like a painful sharp pressure. He had a cough and an allergy, and he thought it was related to that, so he tried to ignore it. “I’m to young to have a heart attack” he thought. Belch is 65. So he went to the bank continuing his normal routine. While there he started feeling light headed, but still ignored it.

Your generous support has made a profound impact on Juergen Pugh, a community member bravely battling bladder cancer. Facing challenges, including the expiration of insurance, he went without medical attention for 11 months. Thanks to your support, Mankind stepped in, securing insurance and covering medical bills for treatment. Your kindness has eased the burden on Juergen and his family, providing access to necessary care. Your ongoing contributions transform lives, offering hope during health crises. Thank you for making a meaningful impact and supporting our cause.

Robert, a once-active lawyer, faced a life-altering challenge when he developed Cervical Dystonia in 2004. This neurological disorder, similar to Parkinson’s disease, contorted his body, leaving him unrecognizable. Despite ongoing treatments at the Mayo Clinic and other clinics, there is no cure, only efforts to manage pain through Botox injections and ablations. Mankind and its supporters stepped in to provide pain medication for Robert’s comfort amid this difficult journey.

At 30, Elby McCommas faced a stage 4 fibrolamellar carcinoma diagnosis. After surgery and eight cancer-free months, the devastating news of its return led to chemo and immunotherapy. Job loss intensified financial challenges, impacting rent and car repairs. Thanks to Mankind and its donors, Elby can now focus on his health without added worries.

Sergio, on a fixed income due to kidney and diabetes issues, faced an enlarged prostate. Worried about treatment costs, Mankind stepped in to help after his son informed him about the organization. Scheduled doctor appointments in November will address Sergio’s prostate issues, preventing complications. Thanks to Mankind for their vital support during this challenging time.

Finis faced a series of challenging health issues, including diabetes, leading to a severe nervous breakdown and tooth loss. As a telecom trainer, these struggles left him unable to work. Regular doctor’s visits revealed elevated PSA levels, resulting in a prostate cancer diagnosis.

Enrique, a 60-year-old warehouse manager, received a devastating pancreatic cancer diagnosis in December 2022. Initially dismissing abdominal pain, the situation worsened, leading him to the emergency room, where they detected pancreatic spots. Following rapid transfer to another hospital, he commenced treatment a month later.

Ed had an accident about 8 years ago in his apartment when he went to get up out of his chair and blacked out, he woke up later and called for help.

The paramedics broke into his apartment. He was in the bathroom and couldn’t move. They told him that he was on the floor for 12 and 1/2 hours when he got to the hospital he was in with what they call rhabdomyolysis.

Brian is a US military veteran who gets a yearly physical and works at DFW airport maintenance facility. At his last physical his PSA went up to 8, so doctors scheduled a biopsy and MRI for prostate cancer. Tests came back positive so Brian went in for surgery.

Juan was a victim of a cardiac arrest. At the time he was employed with State Farm, so he was under their group health plan, but shortly after his heart attack he left his job due to his health. This led to difficulties paying for insurance coverage, so he needed help.

At the age of 21, I felt like I was getting my life squared away and making the best of every day while also looking towards the future. December the 13th of 2007 should have been a Friday so that it would coincide with how seemingly bad my luck has been over these past fifteen years, but it wasn’t. It was a Thursday.

Luke went to the clinic Dec. 9, 2022 with what he thought was a stomach bug. They said that there was something else going on and that he needed to go to the ER. The first ER was not equipped to deal with his illness. After two ERs he was transferred to Fort Worth and admitted to the ICU with strep pneumonia.

Devrhon lost feeling in his legs making him a temporary paraplegic.

He was hospitalized for over a month and unable to work and pay bills.

Gabriel was diagnosed with “A.L.L.” It’s a type of blood cancer, a type of leukemia. Normally, it’s a rare cancer in prepubescent children and people over 50.

Gabriel was door dashing seven days a week and lived with his parents in Fort Worth. He started to notice pain while driving one day and ignored it. But it worsened so he went to the ER when he noticed a pressure in the left side of his body.

When Frank Gonzalez was facing a health crisis he turned to his church who introduced him to Mankind. In 2020, he got an infection on his leg that resulted in gangrene on his toe. Hospitalized in El Paso, Tx, he was given antibiotics to fight the infection.

The infection stayed in the tip of his bone and the doctors wanted him to have surgery, but Frank was scared to do it because of cost, and he was alone in the hospital.

Damon is like most men- a fighter who keeps on going. Damon is in construction for the City of Plano and for years has been in pain or soreness. He just thought this was part of the job. He has insurance but did not think anything was out of the ordinary so did not go to the doctor. He took medication to ease the pain but realized this was not a long-term solution. In April of 2021, Damon realized that not being able to lift his feet was a problem so he finally went to the doctor.

Sure enough, his PSA was over 400 and his body could not produce white blood cells.

When the pandemic hit, 41-year-old Eric Gutierrez took all the appropriate precautions to avoid the virus. He wore his mask, avoided crowds and washed his hands frequently. A year into the pandemic he wasn’t feeling well so he went and got tested and it came back negative. Then a few days later, he became unresponsive on the couch. His girlfriend immediately called an ambulance. It turns out, the previous test results were in fact false negatives.

His worst nightmare was happening. Eric was facing a major health crisis.

Our most recent beneficiary, Michael Barclay, never thought he would find himself in a health crisis and seeking support from Mankind. In March of 2021, he was working as a construction manager for an engineering firm and enjoyed golf and hockey in his free time. His job paid him based on when he worked, meaning that any down time would directly affect his income.

However, as a 37-year old man in peak physical shape, he had great work attendance and he thought he was too young to need regular physicals.

At 47 years old, Jerry was a healthy man focused on running his home remodeling business and caring for his teenage son.

Like many men his age, he did not go to the doctor on a regular basis. However, when he noticed his lymph nodes on his neck bulging, he went to a local doctor’s office. The doctor gave him a steroid shot and sent Jerry on his way. A few weeks later, Jerry noticed his lymph nodes swelling up again. Like before, the doctor provided the same treatment and no indication of any serious danger. This happened multiple times before the doctor finally performed a biopsy for cancer. Sure enough, Jerry was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Jorge Avila has a landscape business and as last year ended his struggles began.

He received a call that his brother had passed away due to complications from the virus. A few days later both he and his wife Maria started having COVID related symptoms, so they decided to get tested. Sure enough, both tested positive.

Allen Kennedy, a 59-year-old Irving resident, was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 2019.

This news came as a shock to the man and his wife. With no license to drive a car, and no car of his own to drive, he was concerned about missing his cancer treatment appointments. The couple began asking neighbors for rides to get Kennedy to and from Choice Cancer Care in Irving.

Roberto Lazcano, 47, received shocking news on November 7, 2018 – he was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer. Doctors told him  chemotherapy and radiation were an immediate need, and that his outlook for the future depended on prompt care.

He had no insurance, and he had no means to pay for all of the medical bills because private insurance companies wouldn’t approve him after his diagnosis. The cancer he was to be treated for was estimated at nearly $50,000.

In early 2019, we shared Kevin “Coach” Paul’s cancer diagnosis story with our Mankind supporters.
Today, Kevin has an update to share with us regarding his current health status.

In the middle of December 2018, Coach was diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
The news was heartbreaking to both him and all those who have come to know Coach,
from his family members to the players he coached.

When someone is diagnosed with a serious health issue, life becomes a whirlwind of doctor visits,
medication and treatment options — and “How do I pay for all this?”

The first time the Row family from Garland, TX faced this kind of life-altering situation, it was Mrs. Row. In 2014, she fell ill,
and Hank spent most of his earnings and savings on her battle for health. Sadly, Mrs. Row passed in October 2016.

During routine blood work, Dr. Alling of Decatur, Texas, expressed concern at the level of my PSA test. He referred me to Dr. Doubrava, an Urologist also of Decatur, who tortured me by taking samples of my prostate. He found that all twelve samples contained cancer and sat me down for a long conversation about my options.

I am so grateful to know that I do not face this alone. I have become aware of how many men have faced this and survived. I’m also aware that many men will face this struggle until medical science elminiates it, and that’s why I am so grateful for Mankind™ and the men who make up this organization. I’m also grateful for the men who have been blessed through Mankind™. I feel like they are my partners in this battle.

In 2015, Ron Adkins was living a quiet retired life with his wife of 48 years in Plano. It was during a routine annual heart procedure follow up that the nurse reported to him his PSA count was abnormally high. “What does that mean?” was his reaction. Not long after more tests confirmed the bad news. Ron was positive for Prostate Cancer.

On February 6, Mankind™ issued $3,000 of direct financial aid to Ron and his family and plans to raise more donations through their annual gold fundraiser on April 6.

There’s a popular ad campaign for an insurance company that says, “Life comes at you fast.”
That statement holds a lot of truth for Kevin “Coach” Paul, one of the most recent recipients of support from Mankind.

On December 11, 2018, he woke up to receive his final divorce papers — which is certainly enough
to ruin anyone’s day. But life was about to come at Kevin faster and harder than ever before.

Daniel T. Gebremichael is a 75-year-old man who lives in McKinney together with his wife in the home of their eldest daughter Timnit who is 41 years old. Daniel, his wife and Timnit are all permanent residents (green card) of the United States.

Daniel and three of his five children gradually immigrated from Ethiopia and Eritrea to the USA over the past few decades due to the prolonged civil war there. One other sibling to Timnit lives in Texas (Houston).

My playing this game that I love could have been cut short if it hadn’t been for my yearly prostate screening! My prostate cancer was detected in the Fall of 2006 during my regular yearly physical.

I was very fortunate in the fact that one of the top five prostate cancer surgery teams were here in Birmingham, AL and I was able to have Dr. Scott Tully perform a Robotic Radical Prostatectomy in April of 2007. Even though my cancer had been able to spread outside of my prostate, they were able to remove it all.

I owe my life to three things, (1) having a yearly physical, (2) the skill of Dr. Tully and his team at St. Vincent Hospital and (3) the grace of my Lord, Jesus Christ.

Earl’s brother-in-law was seeing his doctor at Dallas Pelvic Medicine Center for a routine visit and
told Earl about Mankind’s™ charitable assistance program. He thought of Earl because he knew Earl
was going through a challenging financial struggle. Earl had family history of prostate cancer
and needed to be pro-active and have a new PSA level test performed.

Earl completed a financial aid application and subsequently board members Art Carillo and Jason W. Taylor
along with founder Eric Becker met him for lunch to find out how Mankind™ could help Earl.