The news that a long time Port Coquitlam family doctor is in hospital with a terminal illness has his patients offering support, condolences and donations to the family.
A fundraiser has been set up on the GoFundMe website, raising more than $54,000 for the family of Dr. Matthew Choi in just a few days.
The Hong Kong-born doctor was diagnosed with late-stage cancer at the age of 55.
According to a statement from Amy Williams, a communications representative for GoFundMe, Dr. Choi had planned to be a missionary but settled on the path of becoming a doctor.
He practiced for 28 years, studying at the University of Alberta, and completing his medical degree in 1992. He then married his wife, Macy Liu. Before settling in Vancouver in 1999, he briefly practiced in Newfoundland and Calgary.
By Wednesday, Dec. 21, as many as 275 people had donated to the cause.
Others left their appreciation for his gifts as a physician in a comment, calling Dr. Choi the “best GP I have ever known.”
“Dr. Choi is thorough and doesn’t cut corners, he has taken care of myself and my family for nearly 20 years,” one commentator on the website said.
