Stand And Deliver Teacher Battling Cancer, Needs Your Help!
Filed under: Film Flickers > Sad Sad
Sad!
Jaime Escalante, the East Los Angeles high school teacher the 1988 film Stand and Deliver was based on, has been battling cancer but he is now unable to afford his treatments.
Cast members of the film are asking for donations and actress Vanessa Marquez confirmed that $5,000 has been raised but $25,000 is still needed for Jaime to pay for his treatments.
Escalante is 79 years old and the film was based on his story of turning a group of poor students at Garfield High School into calculus champs.
This is absolutely terrible — and a prime example of why we need better healthcare in this country!!
Keep fighting, Jaime!
[Image via AP Images.]
Tags: cancer, jaime escalante, sad
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That's so sad to hear. The story of his dedication and belief in those kids is very inspiring. Hope he hangs in there.
Stop being cruel to Mischa Barton.. you're such a cold hearted hypocrite.
This doesn't happen in Canada! We are a perfect example of healthcare. People are cured of cancer up here. It is possible. Let's hope he gets the help he desperately needs.
this is trully unfair, how the hell does a man work a pathtic teaching job for probably less than 50k/yr and helps students and cultivates minds and dies dead broke without enough money for this surgery this is country is broken.
why is his family having to pay for treatments? he was a teacher, he should have been in a teacher's union and covered. If not, he still would have medicare, and if destitute, medicaid. THIS DOES NOT MAKE SENSE MARIO. Is he an illegal alien? Is his treatments experimental? It does not make sense that they are paying for tx. co pays, yes, but not, we need $25k to get treatments. DOES NOT MAKE SENSE-WHERE IS THE EXPLANATION?????
Yet another example of how "perfect" our health care system is. I don't understand how the Glenn Becks and $arah Palins of the world sleep at night. I have a hard time believing that they believe the crap they shill. Well, Palin, maybe.
So where do you send the "HELP" to????? That would help!!!!
It is extremely sad for anybody to face the battle with Cancer. He is a truly inspirational man.
That being said, there is no way that "better" healthcare would be paying out thousands per treatment for a 79-year-old man. As far as Canada is concerned, it would probably take him 5 months just to get into a clinic.
Re: Sarah FAILin – I know sarah is stupid but I wonder what kind of health care she has now that she "quit" politics? does anyone know?
wAY TO KEEP UP WITH THE NEWS mariO , Its been on the tv news cast for a few days now . How about to promote the fund to pay his healthcare?
Garfield Bulldogs!!! Get better Mr. Escalante, a true legend.
Glad i live in Canada.
Re: stef in canada –
Uhm… if you have 6 months to spend before you even see an oncologist… yeah, great system…
It's unfortunate that he has cancer, but I don't think a globalized health care system would necessary fix his problem. At 80, which is above life expectancy, there are a lot of things to go wrong during cancer treatment, even with top doctors and cutting edge treatment. While sad to lose someone so inspirational, it's also about being realistic with our resources.
Re: Sarah FAILin –
okay, you do realize that under the proposed "Obama care" there is no way a 79 year old would receive ANY treatment for cancer other than pain management? Research before you speak your ignorant mind.
Such a joke for them to keep bringing up Ted Kennedy too. The surgery that gave him an extra year after brain cancer diagnosis would NOT have been covered under the "Obama care".
You people are mindless sheep too lazy to garner any information about the actual substance of these political issues.
I'm so sorry to hear Mr. Esclante is ill. He is truly a hero and an inspiration. However, at 79 he does have Medicare and his treatment should be virtually free.
fyi…just because you have health insurance, it doesn't mean that it will cover the costs of all treatments. I'm not even talking about "experimental" treatments….just the run-of-the-mill basic care. A lot of cancer patients go broke trying to pay for chemo, radiation, surgeries, meds, etc. So sad.
Thank you justtfax. The feds have bankrupted social security. I do not want them doing the same to a government run health care program that i don't want to opt into anyway!
Re: KateT –
AMEN !!!
I knew you guys had to pay for health care but I kinda thought if it was a matter of life and death like cancer treatment you could get help. I swear doctors really need to understand it's the Hippocratic oath not hypocritic oath.
Someone should organize a fundraising effort — someone with connections to a 501-c so all donations can be tax deductible. It's not that difficult to raise $25K, people…
Re: mil-ville – Not only Canada, even third world countries like Mèxico had a very good healthcare sistem, especially with those who work in this kind of jobs and is for life.
what is happening here?!
Re: justtfax – not every state has a teachers union moron. Don't be so hard on him teachers don't make tons of money.
MARIO,GIVE US INFO SO THAT WE CAN DONATE. yOU HAVE A HUGE READERSHIP…IF WE ALL GAVE FIVE OR TEN BUCKS THAT IS ALL IT WOULD TAKE…JUST 5,000 PEOPLE GIVING $5.00 EACH.
MARIO,BE A HERO…MAKE IT HAPPEN!
I agree that our health care system is sucky, but Jaime Escalante lives in Bolivia… even a great US health plan is not going to cover him
Yes, this is *truly* sad news. But I am honored to report I am a teacher making 80K+. I work 6.25 hours a day for nine months of work. During this time I teach *PATHETIC* spellers like Mr. YUCK how to be upstanding citizens.
A collection account has been established by Pan American Bank and the Rotary Club of East Los Angeles.
Donations can be made to
"Jaime Escalante Medical Fund"
C/O Pan American Bank
3626 East FIrst Street
East Los Angeles, CA 90063
If you wish to make a credit card donation you can send a request for the credit card donation form to JTorres@PanAmericanBank.us.
Jesse Torres
President and CEO
Pan American Bank
3626 East First Street
East Los Angeles, CA 90063
"California's Oldest Latino-Owned Bank"
So sad I went to Garfield high School and had to see that movie like a trillion times. I was in his program but never met him.
We don't know how lucky we are to have the NHS in England. We don't have to think about paying for any of our surgeries, treatments - even cancer treatments are free or appointments at all.
We're very lucky.
Under Obamacare this man could very well be rejected for healthcare too. Pre-existing condition/dying from a disease. Even Obama said not EVERYONE will benefit. So why do those that promote Obamacare (which is dead in the water right now) say that it will fix these types of instances. IT WONT. People will STILL be dying without healthcare.
You're telling me that between Edward James Olmos and Lou Diamond Phillips (the two big names in the cast) that they can't rustle up 25K? What a bunch of BS!