Help Billy Keep Fighting
In the early hours of January 2, 2023, life changed forever for Billy. At 3 a.m., he learned why his leg had stopped working — the pain he felt was due to lesions caused by an aggressive cancer called Multiple Myeloma, which had eaten away at his bones so severely it tore through the muscle in his hip. He could no longer walk. And he could no longer work.
By the time he was diagnosed, Billy was already at Stage 3 — the most advanced stage of this painful and life-altering cancer. With no insurance and no savings, he turned to Social Security and applied for assistance. It took months. When help finally came, he received SSI and Medicaid, but only temporarily. Once that support lapsed, Billy was left without treatment for four long months. During that time, the cancer continued to ravage his body.
By February, his condition became critical. Billy’s body had stopped producing red blood cells. Weak and in danger, he rushed to a local hospital in Conroe and was transferred to MD Anderson, one of the nation’s leading cancer centers. But even there, he faced a new battle: navigating treatment without insurance. Thankfully, he was accepted into an assistance program, and MD Anderson began life-saving treatment.
The past year has been a brutal fight. Billy endured multiple rounds of chemotherapy and immunotherapy that left his kidneys failing, his immune system battered, and his body vulnerable to severe infections, including pneumonia and hemorrhages in both his lungs and nose. At one point, he bled for over 12 hours, and just days later, his lungs began to hemorrhage.
MD Anderson saved Billy’s life five different times.
Today, Billy is still fighting. He takes five types of chemotherapy and undergoes dialysis three times a week to keep his body functioning. He makes the trip to MD Anderson once a week, totaling four treatment days a week — each trip a costly journey in terms of fuel, vehicle maintenance, and time.
The financial burden is overwhelming. Billy’s vehicles are barely holding together. One had a radiator explosion, the other has a mysterious water leak, worn tires, and is overdue for an oil change and tune-up. He needs an air conditioner for his home as the Texas heat becomes unbearable, and even groceries are becoming difficult to afford.
Though he now receives Medicare, Billy struggled for months to cover copays. He has since been approved for QMB, which helps with the expenses Medicare doesn’t cover — but some medical debt from the dialysis clinic remains. He had no choice but to accept treatment he couldn’t afford, simply to stay alive.
Now, Billy is asking for help. Not for luxury, but for the basics that make it possible to keep fighting: a working vehicle, fuel to get to treatment, groceries, and a cool, safe place to rest and recover.
Your donation to Mankind can help ease these burdens. It can keep Billy going — literally and figuratively. He has faced death more than once, but he refuses to give up. He is fighting for his life every single day. Let’s fight with him.
Please donate to Mankind today. Help us keep Billy moving, keep him healing, and most importantly — keep him here.