When Healthcare Requires Fundraising, Something Is Broken

When I saw a GoFundMe for James Van Der Beek’s family raise over $2 million for healthcare costs, my first thought wasn’t about celebrity.

It was this.

If someone with resources, visibility, and connections still needs help paying for care… what is everyone else facing?

This isn’t a criticism of him. No family should have to carry medical hardship alone.

But it made me look around.

The neighbor is quietly going through chemo.

The couple is scraping by on a fixed income and prescriptions.

The family is doing everything “right” and still drowning in paperwork and bills.

The person who had no idea how complicated healthcare could be until they got sick.

I cannot tell you how many people I meet every week who are walking through this silently.

Healthcare shouldn’t require fundraising.

It should require support. Clarity. Someone in your corner.

If we give to a celebrity, let’s also check on our neighbor.

Because the hardest battles usually happen close to home.