Help Mike Fight Cancer

Product Description

United States

Supporters

In July 2025, Mike Storbeck was diagnosed with Stage 3B / 4 lung cancer. He has been undergoing further diagnostics this month to determine the best course of treatment but he knows that it will likely include 5 weeks of every week day radiation treatment in Des Moines. In addition to medical costs, Mike also needs help with transportation / transportation costs, as well as affording his ongoing medications, oxygen, and neubulizer for treating COPD. His teenage daughter Claire lives with him and Mike wants to sure he has the money needed to take care of her as well. He has been medically disabled since a heart attack and has not been able to work since before the pandemic. Prior to that, Mike worked as proud union construction worker. The current government’s cuts to Social Security and Medicare have negatively affected Mike, as have rising rent, utility, and food costs. Like many people, Mike finds himself in the position of being asked to draw blood from a stone and pay ever expanding expenses and higher costs with less support. Its an impossible situation and despite everything, Mike has preserved in circumstances that would have broken any number of us. He is humbly asking for help because its more than any one person can bear.

Mike is a lifelong Grinnell resident who has lived at Willows Mobile Home Community since the second addition was first constructed. I got connected to him through running Middle Way Farm, where I have grown organic vegetables for the direct sale to the community for over 10 years. During that time I provided a weekly seasonal produce share for Mike through Local Food Connection, a non-profit that fundraised to pay farmers to provide no-cost local organic produce to households regardless of whether they could afford it. Later I began serving on the board of directors and working on staff for Grinnell Farm to Table, which took over the work of Local Food Connection in 2023. Mike has been both a recipient of food and an active member of our board of directors for a number of years, since before the merger with Grinnell Farm to Table. Despite struggles with his health, Mike is not someone who can easily sit still and not jump in to help, particularly when he sees a way that he can assist. He has made a point of weed whacking, mowing, and taking care of the outside of Grinnell Farm to Table’s distribution space downtown, without asking for any credit or recognition, simply as a way to contribute and give back to the organization. During the height of the pandemic he was active in food delivery and distribution, including having a chest freezer on his porch with free frozen meat and other food for his neighbors.

As Mike said when I asked him about treatment, “I want to live”. He deserves to, for himself, for his daughter, for his family & friends, for his community. Everyone deserves to live. Please spare what you are able to in this campaign to give Mike what he needs to keep living and being who he is in this world for as long as possible.

Written by:

Jordan Scheibel

Grinnell, Iowa

8/19/25

All funds go directly to Mike Storbeck.

Brenda Schutt

1 day ago

$100

Joey Pagliai

2 days ago

$100

ChyAnne Huyser

2 days ago

$100

Justin Van Soelen

2 days ago

$50

Monica St. Angelo

7 days ago

$100

Megan Veldboom

8 days ago

$100

Jessica Dillon

9 days ago

$100

Brenda McDonald

9 days ago

$50

Jim Storbeck

9 days ago

$150

Jordan Scheibel

Laurel Tuggle Lacina