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AUDIO: [From It's a Wonderful Life] To my big brother George, the richest man in town!
NICK EICHER, HOST: It is a wonderful life, and CBS News recently found a man wealthier than even the fictional George Bailey.
Dr. Z to his neighbors, Baltimore’s Dr. Michael Zollicoffer.
ZOLLICOFFER: Just love people!
He’s treated countless poor patients for free.
He gives out his personal cell number.
He’s available 24/7.
PATIENT: You’ll never meet a person like him.
But then came a double cancer diagnosis—and a paperwork foul-up that left him with no insurance and no way to pay for the treatment he desperately needed.
So his patients stepped up.
PATIENT 2: Whatever needs to be done to save Dr. Z, we’re going to do it.
They crowdfunded more than $100,000 and cleared up the insurance problems.
His treatments began.
And as for Dr. Z?
ZOLLICOFFER: I’m thankful that I got cancer—because I am the happiest man on the planet, no matter what the outcome.
A doctor with a gift for giving—now receiving what he’s freely given away.
It’s The World and Everything in It.
WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.
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