Notable Conservative Seeks Crowdfunding for Cancer Treatment

As Barack Obama was campaigning for the White House in 2008, and attempting to defend some of his more controversial tax policies, the eventual President came up against a rather mighty conservative in the crowd.

The man, who was concerned about what the coming Obama administration might do to his plumbing business, soon became known at “Joe The Plumber, and was a central figure in stump speeches for the remainder of the electoral cycle.

Now, Joe The Plumber needs help.

An online fundraising campaign is hoping to raise $50,000 to support a conservative activist and his family as he undergoes cancer treatment, according to its website.

Joe Wurzelbacher, known as “Joe the Plumber,” was diagnosed with Stage 3 Pancreatic cancer and is currently being treated at the Ann Arbor VA Hospital and the University of Michigan Hospital, according to the GiveSendGo. Wurzelbacher became a known name during the 2008 campaign after questioning President Barack Obama about whether his tax plan would cost him more, as he was considering purchasing a company that made $250, 270,000 per year, the Washington Examiner reported.

“It’s not that I want to punish your success,” Obama had said. “I just want to make sure that everybody who is behind you, that they’ve got a chance at success too.”

The next steps to recovery will be both arduous and expensive, but the family remains optimistic.

“Joe had been having stomach issues for about 3 months, which eventually became painful. On December 26th, he’d had enough of the pain and we went to the VA emergency room in Ann Arbor,” Wurzelbacher’s wife, Katie, said, according to the fundraiser description. “They ran tests and performed scans which showed a mass in the head of his pancreas. The mass was restricting one of his biliary ducts, so they classified it as Stage 3 cancer. They also found that his SMV had a large blood clot. His current treatment plan is 6 months of Folfirinox chemotherapy and surgery to remove half of his pancreas and reconstruct the vein with the clot.”

The treatment causes Wurzelbacher to feel fatigued and, at times, nauseous, Katie said. He has lost 70 pounds.

“I’m just pleasantly surprised so many people have reached out and very humbled, to be honest with you. I didn’t realize I touched so many people,” Wurzelbacher told the Daily Caller News Foundation of the fundraiser.

To donate to the Wurzelbacher’s crowdfunding campaign, click here.