Local Doctor Seeks Community Aid After Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis

LONG VALLEY – David Rygielski has made a huge impact in the lives of so many in the Morris County area.

Now he needs help in return.

The Long Valley resident and internal medicine physician, affectionately known as Dr. Dave, has been diagnosed with inoperable Stage 4 cancer in his liver and colon.

Rygielski established a GoFundMe page to help with his own medical expenses he’ll be incurring, and tells the story of how he found out about the cancers.

“I took a fall – my golden retriever knocked me and I broke my leg,” the site says. “Through this injury, I learned I had masses in my liver. I then had a colonoscopy and a mass was found.

“I am a 59-year-old doctor that never had a colonoscopy,” he continues. “I told my patients everyday the importance of self-care. I never followed my own advice. I was too busy caring for others. I never found the time.”

Rygielski says he’s currently being treated with chemotherapy, and that medical bills are “mounting swiftly.”

Rygielski set a fundraising goal of $100,000 and as of Tuesday morning 117 people had donated nearly $12,500 in just five days. See the GoFundMe page here.

“I never thought I would need disability insurance or life insurance and one always thinks they have more time,” the post reads. “I lived in the present every moment, which is not necessarily a bad thing, until faced with my new reality. I ask with a humble heart for your prayers and healing energy to be sent to myself and my family at this time. I never thought I would need to ask for assistance. I need to ask.”