Dr. Raul Storey, an oncologist with Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute in Vero Beach, is passionate about helping people through a devastating diagnosis of cancer, not only with his medical expertise, but in other meaningful ways.
Now vice-chair of Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation, founded in 2011 as a 502(c)3 as designated by the IRS, Storey is dedicated to the foundation’s mission of providing non-medical financial assistance to adults undergoing treatment in Florida to allow them to focus on fighting cancer.
“This is one of the things that has filled my soul the most during my career-treating cancer,” Dr. Storey said. “I’ve been involved with Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation for the last decade and having the opportunity to walk by a patient’s side and help them in a different fashion is very beautiful. Our foundation helps the patient pay their essential non-medical bills, so it’s one less thing to worry about during their treatment and they can focus on getting better.”
Just hearing the word cancer is devastating. There are so many uncertainties when going through cancer treatment, and adding all the financial burdens makes it worse.
Patients struggle with the high cost of medical bills while still trying to support their families. Some face eviction and car repossession because they are too sick to work or going to so many treatments they can’t hold down a job and their income is drastically diminished. That’s when the foundation steps in and helps patients pay their mortgage and utilities on time so they can focus on healing.
“Although our name is Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation, we provide financial assistance to any qualified cancer patient in the state of Florida, not just those who are being treated within our group,” said Lynn Rasys, executive director of the foundation.
“We receive patient referrals from other organizations such as Moffitt Cancer Center, Advent Health and North Florida Hospital. We are proud to have paid out over $9 million in patient grants over the past decade, assisting 6,500 patients and families.”
“We are more than thrilled to have Dr. Storey on our board and most recently appointed as vice chair,” Rasys said exuberantly. “We welcome his support and enthusiasm. Not only is he greatly involved in supporting our fundraising events, but he is also working on his own Las Meninas project with healing arts and medicine, and we are getting close to rolling it out through some of our FCS clinics.”
Florida Cancer Specialists physicians pay 100 percent of foundation staff salaries and operational expenses so that every penny donated goes to directly into patient grants to pay essential non-medical living expenses of an adult battling cancer. All 240 Florida Cancer Specialists oncologists in Florida’s FCS 100 locations are part of that commitment, which Storey said is an integral part of FCS culture.
“It’s in our DNA,” said Dr. Storey. “It’s who we are. If you want to be part of our group, you have to be part of our foundation. It’s all about having the passion to help our patients, and whatever we can do to make the experience of being treated for cancer a little better is our goal.”
Any Florida resident over 18 years old who is undergoing cancer treatment and has a household income at or below 200 percent of the poverty level and less than $5,000 in liquid assets qualifies for a $2,000-per-year grant while actively receiving treatment.
Dr. Storey has been with FCS in Vero Beach since 2014 and is optimistic about new therapies and changes in oncology that are transforming the one-time death sentence into a treatable chronic disease.
“My father was diagnosed with prostate cancer 30 years ago and back then cancer was considered a death sentence,” Storey said. “It’s interesting how we lived the last 30 years thinking that tomorrow would be his last day. With the proper treatment he’s still with us, and three decades later we have so many advances in oncology that a cancer diagnosis doesn’t mean the end of life.
“Oncology has been one of the most impacted fields of medicine in regard to advances and new treatments,” Storey added. “One of the most powerful things that’s happened is personalized medicine in oncology. Through all the lessons we’ve gotten from genetic testing we can now treat cancers and tumors based on their unique genetics and composition and identify medication that targets those genetic mutations regardless of the origins of the cancer.
“Every cancer is completely different, so it’s unreasonable to treat everyone the same. Personalized medicine allows us to tailor and treat patients in a unique way that works specifically for them.”
Dr. Storey likens personalized medicine for cancer to the way a urinary tract infection (UTI) is now treated. If a UTI is detected during a urine test, the doctor will order a urine culture to identify what type of bacteria is causing the infection and what specific antibiotic is sensitive to it. Imagine exactly the same concept based on the DNA of the tumor and the identification of chemotherapy drugs.
Dr. Raul Storey aims to offer his patients the most advanced and personalized care possible. He served as Research Project Coordinator for an oncology group in Houston at the beginning of his career, and during his residency and fellowship he gained experience with the MD Anderson Cancer Center and Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Department. He can be reached at Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute, 3730 7th Terrace, Vero Beach (772-567-2332). or in Sebastian at 13060 U.S. 1 (772-589-0879).
Cancer patients can apply online for Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation grants at https://fcsf.org/