Radio personality Michael Kooge has resorted to crowdfunding website Givealittle for his cancer treatment after turning down private health insurance.
Despite New Zealand’s free public healthcare system that covers accidental injuries and subsidises most prescriptions, more and more Kiwis are resorting to crowdfunding websites to pay for their cancer treatment.
Kooge was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer in 2017 and has since taken Temozolomide for his monthly chemotherapy treatment. The medication had “crazy” side effects but Kooge did not stop taking it as it was subsidised compared to the unfunded alternative Avastin that would cost tens of thousands of dollars.
“I might need it at some point, it’s unfunded, it is very expensive. That is very scary for someone in this situation because there is no support, there is no money. It is unfunded by the public system,” Kooge told Newshub.
Kooge said that the donations he received from Givealittle went not only to medication but also to his food, transportation, and accommodation as he cannot work normal hours any more due to his illness.
He added that he bitterly regretted turning down private health insurance when he was 19 years old as it would have paid all or a huge part of his Avastin treatments.
Kooge considered moving to Australia, where Avastin would soon be freely available for patients with cancer.
