A Michigan Cancer Patient Grandfather Uses Uber To Pay Off His Family’s Mortgage

A grandpa from Michigan battling cancer for nearly two years was told 10 days ago that he has two to ten weeks to live.

Despite urges to seek healthcare, Kenneth Broskey, 69, continues to work full-time as an Uber driver and real estate agent in the Detroit region.

Broskey, of Livonia, told ABC News today that he’s attempting to raise as much money as possible so that his daughter, 46, and his two grandchildren, ages 13 and nine, have a home to live in when he dies.

“Once I die, chances are my daughter, who works part-time at a tiny restaurant in Livonia, will lose the house we live in because she won’t be able to finance it,” Broskey said. “So I’m doing everything I can for her and my grandchildren. When you find out you’re going to die, you realize how essential your family and friends are.”

Broskey was more than $22,000 closer to paying off his family’s $95,000 mortgage due to a fateful Uber ride just three weeks ago.

During that route, Broskey encountered Roland Gainer, a 22-year-old Washtenaw Community College student who needed a ride to downtown Ann Arbor to meet up with some buddies.

Gainer stated that he began conversing with Broskey and that the informal conversation became more serious when he heard that Broskey had terminal cancer — stage four oropharyngeal carcinoma with lung metastases.

“I was asking him if he liked to drive uber, and he explained how much he loved it because he got to meet new people, and it was also helping him make extra money before dying because he had head, tongue, and throat cancer,” Broskey told ABC News today. “I felt driven to support him.”

Gainer and Broskey exchanged phone numbers, and Gainer said he sought advice from the owner of a popular quirky barber shop in Detroit on how to help Broskey.

Sebastian Jackson, the owner of “The Social Club” barber shop, claimed he linked Broskey with a communications professional called Karen Dumas in the neighborhood, and the three of them collaborated to launch a GoFundMe account for Broskey this past Monday.

“It’s really inspirational to witness racial and generational divides being bridged for a good cause,” Jackson told ABC News today. “I wanted to help in any manner that I could.”

Uber’s Midwest spokesperson Brooke Anderson told ABC News today that over $22,000 was raised in three days, $5,000 of which was donated by the firm.

“The firm will continue to donate an additional $1 for every rider who uses the promo-code “UberPartnerKen” through April 20th,” Anderson noted. “Ken is a part of the community, and we were struck by how he continues to help his community and family every day, especially in the face of such hardships.”

Gainer and Broskey stated that “The Social Club” barber shop also sponsored a benefit supper on Wednesday, raising an additional $400 to $500.

Broskey stated that even though he has been given two to ten weeks to live, he feels well and intends to continue driving with the assistance of morphine pills.

Gainer and Broskey talk daily and are “close friends,” according to Gainer.

“I really admire him,” Gainer stated. “Oh, his love for his family is boundless. This man is dying of cancer, but he still drives an Uber cab every day for his family. That is unimaginable love.”