Michael Brooks' Community Rallies Together To Raise Money For The 12 Year Old 's Cancer Treatment

For his 12th birthday, Michael Brooks had an unusual birthday party -- attended by hundreds of people, many of whom he had never met. The celebration was held at Michael's Omaha, Neb. elementary school to raise funds to support the boy's experimental cancer treatment.

Since a rare form of cancer was discovered in the boy's arm in 2008, he has been fighting a battle against his disease. When chemotherapy proved unsuccessful, Michael's family opted to place him in a clinical trial in Minnesota. The only problem? Michael's insurance company won't cover it.

The treatment has shown positive results so far, shrinking the tumor by 30 percent. Luckily for Michael, his family, friends, classmates, neighbors -- even strangers -- are behind him, happy to make a donation so that Michael's family can afford his treatment.

A benefit for the sixth-grader at St. Robert Belarmine catholic school drew hundreds.

"You can't even put it into words," his mother said. "You can't just write a thank you note. It's overwhelming."

The original story about Michael Brooks on KETV Omaha did not mention under which insurance provider Michael's family was covered.

Comments

[gakabani]

02:52 PM on 03/21/2010

My son had surgery and I got a stiff bill for more than $2k, can I pay? Yes, little by little. Now, what about those less fortunate? This is ridiculous, we bail out banks, Israel and car companies. Can we bail out those with no means? Yes, but Congress is just that Congress a bunch of corrupt elected officials that do nothing for us.

[Layman23]

12:07 PM on 03/20/2010

The con that is health insurance is no better than a car insurance. They wont pay out for a broken car. Or thats how they see it.

[bigOther]

05:42 PM on 03/17/2010

Solution. Communities like this one (aka 'governrments') get together and make a pool or exchange where members can buy health insurance cheaply because of the numbers in the group. Cut out the private for profit businesses called 'health insurers'.

Simple solution? It's HCR!

[Margo Arrowsmith]

07:03 AM on 03/18/2010

Fanned for good idea!

I like it a lot.

However, remember that Blue Cross started out as a cooperative of sorts. Now it is raising rates by an average of 40% a year with ad and lobbying budgets and exorbitant exec bonuses.

Any place there is a dollar to be made they will sniff it out and squeeze two and then ten. There would have to a lot done to keep that from happening again.

[medvidek72]

08:15 AM on 03/19/2010

It could work. Not sure why we're not already trying it on a grander scale.

[frankbaldwin]

06:17 AM on 03/17/2010

The US is , I believe the only industrialized nation that still out-farms basic social services to profit making middleman like the for-profit insurance companies.

Its a bad system, because there is a basic conflict of interest when insurance corporations profit more when they deny payment and raise premiums.

[frankbaldwin]

06:13 AM on 03/17/2010

What a brave little boy.
This is why we need to have a single payer system.

Get rid of these middlemen – let’s unite , lets work to put them out of business.

They are the bureaucracy and they are the death panels.

Health care should never be a for profit business.

Socialized government run health care works. For profit ‘’ health care” does not

[MarsAmbassador]

03:29 AM on 03/17/2010

Insurance company Death Panels strike again. Why aren't people like Palin outraged when stuff like this happens to kids? Does it not fit their meme? Unreal.

[Margo Arrowsmith]

07:04 AM on 03/18/2010

Why isn't the so called 'pro life' community up in arms about this?

[Jim Pasterczyk]

12:09 AM on 03/17/2010

Clinical trials in Minnesota, eh? Wonder how much that paragon of the pro-life movement Michele Bachmann kicked in?

[mongus]

11:31 PM on 03/16/2010

It is obvious that republicans don't feel any discomfort in these kind of stories.

They only care about profits for the healthcare industry and tax breaks for the rich.

Just look at the the kinds of legislation they support and the kind they oppose.

Where is their heath care plan?

Oh, I forgot.....let's start from scratch.

Did they 'start from scratch' when they were in the white house and controlled both houses?

End of story.

[Lucille]

12:06 AM on 03/17/2010

You're so right. Ed Schultz suggested to a Republican female operative that normal people should have the same converge that Dick Cheney has as the core of it is federally funded, the operative looked stunned and then had a belly laugh and said (I'm paraphrasing) that if Ed thought everyone should get the Rolls Royce treatment (or something like that), think again.

These Republicans are truly mentally ill, their sense of superiority is so out of proportion to reality it would be comical if they weren’t so hateful, and the ones who aren’t wealthy seemed to only be about ousting out the first Black President.

[cheeriogirl]

12:16 AM on 03/17/2010

I saw that show Lucille. I vividly remember wanting to knock that sense of entitlement right out of her.

[rbchilds]

12:31 AM on 03/17/2010

It's obvious that government can't run health care, just ask any Viet Nam Vet. Neither party has done a good job for the veterans. Stop the party tripe, Democrats and Republicans equally stink at Health Care.

[Stilts9]

11:25 PM on 03/16/2010

When a community rallies around a person like this it's socialism.

[Voting citizen]

11:31 PM on 03/16/2010

What? are you on drugs?

[Stilts9]

09:13 AM on 03/17/2010

Socialism is people helping each other out, as opposed to American Capitalism which is survival of the fittest.

[Voting citizen]

11:24 PM on 03/16/2010

name names....make them buck up to the responsibility the family paid for.

[cirrus7]

11:24 PM on 03/16/2010

I haven't heard this much viscous partisan bile since the Exxon-Mobil and Shell funded bloggers went apeshit over 'Climategate'. Then and now they say 'we' (sane normal people) are forcing their agenda on U.S.A., since just it's just our opinion that Earth is getting warmer and people (even kids) kinda need to see a doctor before they drop dead in the street.
They are either willing to say anything for a dollar, or so incredibly cheap just don't care about people who cannot get insurance.

[textynn]

11:19 PM on 03/16/2010

Now see Republican Health care is great esp if you're a cute little kid. Ugly old men need not apply.

[friendoffriend]

11:07 PM on 03/16/2010

Clinical trials for children are different than adults. It is run by the Children's Oncology Group not the drug companies. Lots are not paid for under clinical trials for children. Ten years ago drug companies flopped by trying to invent a magic pill for cancer. They are now concentrating on the genetics - the chromosomes of a specific tumor. This clinical trial is in Phase III in adults with non small lung cancer. People in stage 4 lung cancer are now in remission using this oral chemo which has no side effects. Now they are testing it in children. This just happens to work on Michael's tumor as well because it has the same genetics with in the tumor. They weren't surprised it shrunk. They knew it would. His family was waiting on this trial to open up. There is not a protocol for this tumor except for surgery. He can't due to the location of the tumor in his arm. They are hoping it will shrink. They are hoping their insurance would be glad to have him off the other chemo which dropped his counts, made his sick, lost his hair, etc. It cost them 120K for this type of care - the clincal trial would cost less than 40K. Makes sense - huh? The family just wants the tumor to be shrunk, have surgery & be normal again.

[friendoffriend]

11:07 PM on 03/16/2010

She was told by the TV stations they would not disclose her insurance company. I am her good friend. She did not want this turned into a health debate. Obama care or this new health care reform would not save her son's life. Rather limit the choices even further. One of out 5 kids have this tumor - no one is going to ask for additional money to fund research nor care-hard facts but the truth. She had approval for MN care for the MRIs, dr visits, tests and labs. Someone reversed this decision mid year. This person has no knowledge of cancer, hemoc, tumors, etc. Appeals are lop-sided - two of the insurance people & one outside person - majority rules. You will never win.

[Alfredo Zapata]

11:05 PM on 03/16/2010

Sad to say it, but the tea baggers are out to kill this young man!

[rbchilds]

12:34 AM on 03/17/2010

Sad to say, but the government is out to kill everyone. Government run health care does not work.
Democrats and Republicans have continually denied funding to the VA to cover our returning veterans for the last 50 years. Anyone who believes the government will do better for private citizens needs their head examined.

[Alfredo Zapata]

02:26 PM on 03/17/2010

Well, I guess you won't be signing up for Medicare when you are eligible! Oh, yes I can have my head examined because I have insurance. What you and many teabaggers have yet to explain is Why. "WHY IS IT BAD FOR THIS COUNTRY TO MAKE AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE AVAILABLE TO ALL OF IT'S CITIZENS!" A simple question, yet all you all can do is regurgitate talking points poorly written on protest signs. So yes, all this faux anger and protesting and town hall antics for the last YEAR has poisoned the debate to the point that yes, the young man's insurance won't cover his treatment. An insurance company "Death Panel" made that decision, oh yeah, I forgot that the Government's Death Panel was supposed to do that!

[clynn777]

02:10 AM on 03/17/2010

Yes, that's right--THOUSANDS OF LAW-ABIDING, OFTEN ELDERLY PEOPLE WANT THIS BOY DEAD--they have probably been tirelessly plotting his demise for ages. They delight in dead children! How clever of you to see through this "dangerous" movement! Interestingly, one democratic politician who is involved with trying to pass Obamacare recently came out saying that abortion NEEDS to be part of the healthcare reform bill, otherwise, more /too many babies would be born and that would mean higher costs. We certainly can't have that. It's great to see his heart is in the right place, and I'm sure his primary focus on costs above all else is COMPLETELY noble and out of love--not like those treacherous tea baggers, and CERTAINLY not like those evil health insurance companies who make an average of a scandalous 2-3% profit each year--the nerve!

Your statement is ridiculous and is a standard tactic that demonstrates willful ignorance. You make an outrageous, inflammatory, hateful claim about a group you disagree with politically, all because you can't argue your case with facts or logic . It does not matter to you that your statement is completely false. You project hatred upon the motives of those who have the audacity to have a different view, exhibiting the VERY THING you accuse them of. How does that help you or this country in ANY way?

.

[Alfredo Zapata]

02:13 PM on 03/17/2010

Wow, you really are deep in that kool aid!