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Cancer victim needs help with care expenses By SUSAN JAY Arlin "Mac" McCormack needs help. The 69-year-old retired Boise Cascade worker has had three strikes against his health, with the third -- prostate cancer -- hitting the hardest. McCormack was about to go on the list for a kidney transplant when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in July. Both his kidneys were removed in May this year, because of a genetic condition, which causes cysts to grow and interfere with his kidneys' functions. One of his daughters and his son have the same condition. Despite being on kidney dialysis three mornings a week, McCormack tries to walk two to three miles a day, splitting his time in the morning and evening. "He takes care of himself as best he can," said his wife Reba McCormack. The only way McCormack can become a transplant candidate is if his cancer treatment is successful. His doctor and family are confident that's possible with a treatment called photon radiation, but it's only available at Loma Linda University, in Southern California near Riverside. His and other doctors have recommended against using radiation seeds, treatment available locally, because of scarring to his other organs. He has been told he cannot be a kidney transplant candidate if he suffers scarring from radiation treatment, including from the seed implants, his wife said. McCormack has health insurance to cover the treatment, but little to pay for the expenses of living near the hospital for a couple of months while he receives treatment. He and his wife live in a mobile home in White City on an estimated income of $1,600 a month, which includes Social Security benefits and a small pension from Boise Cascade, where he worked for 27 years. His wife works as a care giver for the elderly when she can, but her husband's health has required her to be his care giver. The family is seeking help to defray travel and living expenses. Rent runs from $790 to $2,000 in Loma Linda, far more than what the McCormacks pay here. They also are working with a church near the hospital in Loma Linda to find affordable housing. McCormack, who has been receiving dialysis treatment for the past couple of years, is due in Loma Linda University Sept. 22, with treatment expected to start within 10 days of his arrival. (Donations to assist Arlin McCormack may be made at any branch of the Rogue Federal Credit Union. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA