![Doctor Clears Debt for 200 Cancer Patients](http://townsquare.media/site/669/files/2014/08/495314721-1.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Doctor Clears Debt for 200 Cancer Patients
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In this article, AARP asks: If you are diagnosed with cancer, which expert should you see first - a medical specialist or a money manager? It breaks my heart that people have to worry about getting healthy without bankrupting their families.
Dr. Omar Atiq, an oncologist in Arkansas, saw that stress coupled with the difficult times created by the COVID-19 pandemic and decided to do something to make his patients' lives "a little bit easier". According to Arkansas Online, Atiq retired earlier this year and at the time he had 200 patients with outstanding balances that totaled about $650,000.
The doctor sent each patient a card around the holidays with a note to inform each one that their balance had been erased. Atiq told Fox News, "I just hope that it made it a little bit easier for them. That’s it. I just hope that it gave them a little sigh of relief and made it easier for them so they could face other challenges they may be facing in their lives."
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