ThePhotoDept Chris Sturm

[AlwaysScience]

Chris/Chrustopher Sturm is a Wisconsin photograher on YouTube and Instagram who announced he has cancer on March 19, 2024. He recently said tests show he has lung cancer with mets to his brain. He has started a GoFundMe as he evidently did not have medical insurance when he had a seizure and was treated in the emergency department (called A&E in the UK) of a Wisconsin hospital.

Several commenters to his latest YouTube video expressed concern about his video in which he is driving because it is so soon after his seizure and he dismissed their concerns by claiming doctors told him he is safe to drive because he is on anti- seizure medication and steroids. But it isn’t clear if he legally can drive less than 90 days after a seizure under Wisconsin law.
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In his first comments on his GoFundMe page Sturm wrote this:

“It seems that even to get a diagnosis, I’m going to have to spend several hundred dollars out of pocket right from the get go. Doesn’t seem right.”

Sturm is in his late 30’s and I’m shocked that he doesn’t know that even with medical insurance, cancer testing and treatments in the US cost patients thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars. US insurance typically only covers about 80% of medical costs - patients must pay 20% as “co pays.”

Former US gymnastics Olympian Mary Lou Retton was hospitalized for over a month in 2023 in the US with a dangerous respiratory infection and her GoFundMe raised over $400,000 for her medical costs, After she was released from the hospital she was asked why she did not have medical insurance and she claimed that she had been unable to afford it due to previous medical issues. This was criticized as an untrue statement because under the Affordable Care Act Americans can buy medical insurance despite any preexisting conditions, and their health is not a factor in the amount of the monthly premiums they must pay. Premiums under the ACA are based on age and where the person lives.

 

[Bassethoundmama]

Thank you so much for creating this new thread!

More than once I've seen people commenting about him driving after suffering a seizure recently. Not only is he driving, but he filmed his entire 22 min video while behind the wheel. But hey, his doctor's say he can drive....so what do I know?

 

[AlwaysScience]

Thank you so much for creating this new thread!

More than once I've seen people commenting about him driving after suffering a seizure recently. Not only is he driving, but he filmed his entire 22 min video while behind the wheel. But hey, his doctor's say he can drive....so what do I know?

Yeah medical doctors are VERY conservative in situations like this because they fear getting sued if they tell someone they can do something,the patient does it, and there are bad consequences. I haven’t seen anything else that would indicate that he is a liar so I don’t know what to think about this.
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Does anyone know where Chris Sturm’s family members live? I don’t remember him saying anything in any of his videos. If they live in Wisconsin then it makes no sense for him to try to move to Los Angeles given the poor survival numbers.

I looked for survival information online for people with non small cell lung cancer with mets to the brain and it looks like he isn’t likely to live more than a year. I wonder if his oncologist has told him how poor survival is with brain mets. TiffanyThinks gave the impression that she didn’t know the survival statistics for her colorectal cancer and didn’t want to know.

But I wonder if most oncologists feel obligated to give patients some idea of the numbers so their patients can plan appropriately.

 

[Bassethoundmama]

Yeah medical doctors are VERY conservative in situations like this because they fear getting sued if they tell someone they can do something,the patient does it, and there are bad consequences. I haven’t seen anything else that would indicate that he is a liar so I don’t know what to think about this.
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Does anyone know where Chris Sturm’s family members live? I don’t remember him saying anything in any of his videos. If they live in Wisconsin then it makes no sense for him to try to move to Los Angeles given the poor survival numbers.

I looked for survival information online for people with non small cell lung cancer with mets to the brain and it looks like he isn’t likely to live more than a year. I wonder if his oncologist has told him how poor survival is with brain mets. TiffanyThinks gave the impression that she didn’t know the survival statistics for her colorectal cancer and didn’t want to know.

But I wonder if most oncologists feel obligated to give patients some idea of the numbers so their patients can plan appropriately.

I looked at his insta and it mentions his father is in LA. He definitely seems to be making an impression on viewers, his GFM reached $50,000 in less than 15 days. He's quite a talented photographer, I just hope he doesn't continue to film videos while driving

 

[AlwaysScience]

I looked at his insta and it mentions his father is in LA. He definitely seems to be making an impression on viewers, his GFM reached $50,000 in less than 15 days. He's quite a talented photographer, I just hope he doesn't continue to film videos while driving

Thanks. Then it makes sense for him to move to LA and hopefully his girlfriend can move with him. I too hope he doesn’t record more videos while driving. If his dad has a home with enough room for both of them then it should be affordable for him to live however much more of life he has there. (I’m assuming he has retirement savings he can draw down since he is in his late 30’s. )

 

[Bassethoundmama]

I just rewatched his video. He mentioned he met Jason Lee late last year and he is going to help him build and subsequently run a film lab somewhere in LA. And they're hoping to have that up and running by December but now his diagnosis may affect that timeline. He also spoke about he and his girlfriend had intended to move back to LA to be closer to family. I also am wondering if he is aware of the severity of his diagnosis?

 

[AlwaysScience]

I just rewatched his video. He mentioned he met Jason Lee late last year and he is going to help him build and subsequently run a film lab somewhere in LA. And they're hoping to have that up and running by December but now his diagnosis may affect that timeline. He also spoke about he and his girlfriend had intended to move back to LA to be closer to family. I also am wondering if he is aware of the severity of his diagnosis?

If he thinks he can launch a film lab then he either isn’t aware of how little time he has left, or is ignoring the data to protect himself emotionally for now. It’s a horrific thing to go from being a single person without any kids, doing mostly what you want to do, to having to decide how to live the last months of your life.

 

[Elpis]

In his March 19 youtube video, he said that bit about his work insurance wouldn't go in effect till the next month -- and then he said, at 2:31 in the linked video, "I had to buy some random insurance on the marketplace just to be able to be seen by a doctor which I'm finally doing tomorrow" - so apparently on that date (or before) he did get insurance.

But then, like in the next sentence, he said "since I don't have any insurance"... And then he also said, "I don't have any savings or, like I said, any insurance..." WTF?

Anyway... It'll be interesting to see if he does any more driving videography. I'm still weirded out by that, but I guess we'll see how this transpires. Sorry for him, of course. Good he's going to be with his dad in California.

 

[Bassethoundmama]

As someone on the Apple thread said, he is getting 4 or 5 MRIs this week, CT and PET scan, lumbar puncture then gamma knife radiation April 8th. He mentioned meeting with his team who is confident in the gamma knife radiation. I'm very curious if he's aware of the timeline or if his team has not discussed it with him? Perhaps he isn't "hearing" what they're telling him? Or maybe he's just trying to be as positive as possible. Also he spoke of his major "issues" are neurological - if he's aware of this I just don't understand why he's driving? It wasn't a "quick trip down the block " he was driving for over 20 mins.

 

[riley123]

Chris posted a photo on Reddit of Jason Lee taken at Lee's new camera shop, Eagle Rock Camera in Dec when he met him. (confession: I had to search Jason Lee because I couldn't remember who he was!) I assume the camera shop is the company that will provide his insurance but policies vary so much. Kyle had to change insurance companies so Jenny could get treated at COH and he worked for a large employer. Lee donated $1000 to GFM 16 days ago.

He again replied to a driving comment that he will defer to his medical team but someone did post " Christopher you need to talk to an attorney. it is my understanding that the Wisconsin law of 90 days of no driving after a seizure cannot be waived based on recommendations of a neurologist or oncologist without a written request being made to the Wisconsin DMV/DOT using the Medical Examination Report." Somehow I don't think he'll pay attention to that but he'll definitely never film in the car again.

 

[Elpis]

Well, hopefully we won't see any more dangerous joy rides. He had a damned actual stroke and they "think" they've got him sorted with steroids and anti-seizure drugs?? And even if he was perfectly normal, it's dangerous to make a video while driving. Period.

I'm almost hoping he just decided it would be a cool backdrop to "look like" he was driving when he was actually set up in front of a green screen, pretending to drive (whch is what it looked like to me). At least that's not endangering other people.

Then I'm even more annoyed that he said he bought insurance on the marketplace - and then proceeded to say poor poor me, I have no savings, I HAVE NO INSURANCE... (he said that more than once). He was pushing the poor poor pitiful me thing, to the point of LYING, in order to get donations. Which he got. Oh well. At least we have a place like this to analyze these youtubers, some of whom are definitely unethical grifters!

 

[AlwaysScience]

Yeah doctors don’t just write a scrip for anti seizure meds and send you on your way. The dosage of those meds has to be adjusted so that it is high enough to prevent seizures but not any higher than necessary due to side effects.

Since he mentions a ”marketplace” through which he has bought insurance I think it is via the Affordable Care Act. He purchased it after the end of the annual Open Enrollment Period. Unless he had a qualifying event then he isn’t eligible to buy insurance outside of the annual open enrollment period.

So if he made up a “qualifying event” when he applied and the insurance company suddenly starts getting tens of thousands of dollars in claims for tests and cancer treatments like the gamma knife, they may investigate to confirm he had a qualifying event. His claims over the next 12 months or however long he lives are going to be much higher than the insurance premiums he pays, and insurance companies do not like to lose money if they can find any way to avoid it.

I think he is going to need every penny of GoFundMe money he can get. The fact that he initially was worried and upset about how getting testing to nail down the diagnosis would cost him “hundreds” of dollars out of pocket tells me he has somehow gone through about 38 years living in the US without ever learning how financially devastating the cost of cancer treatment is here.

 

[Elpis]

That's a really interesting point. He says he "bought" a policy from the marketplace - yeah, he has to mean the ACA. Anyway, I'm surprised at the list of "qualifying events"

You may qualify for a
Special Enrollment Period
to get coverage or change plans if:

• Your income falls within a certain range
• You had a qualifying life event, like losing health coverage, getting married, having or adopting a baby, or moving

But in any case, he said insurance through his work would start in April. And yet he's moving to California so what is the workplace he's getting insurance through. His photography shop in Wisconsin or whatever? But he's moving away??

 

[BCrowl]

Yeah medical doctors are VERY conservative in situations like this because they fear getting sued if they tell someone they can do something,the patient does it, and there are bad consequences. I haven’t seen anything else that would indicate that he is a liar so I don’t know what to think about this.
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Does anyone know where Chris Sturm’s family members live? I don’t remember him saying anything in any of his videos. If they live in Wisconsin then it makes no sense for him to try to move to Los Angeles given the poor survival numbers.

I looked for survival information online for people with non small cell lung cancer with mets to the brain and it looks like he isn’t likely to live more than a year. I wonder if his oncologist has told him how poor survival is with brain mets. TiffanyThinks gave the impression that she didn’t know the survival statistics for her colorectal cancer and didn’t want to know.

But I wonder if most oncologists feel obligated to give patients some idea of the numbers so their patients can plan appropriately.

When my Dad had brain cancer, (glioblastoma) the oncologist painted a picture that my Dad could survive, that they could get rid of the tumor with radiation, and it wouldn’t grow back for 2 years. My Dad wound up bedbound. We were able to get him to his follow-up MRI. The oncologist said the tumor had shrunk drastically! But Dad was sitting in a wheelchair, could hardly speak, and in bad shape all around. That doctor never once said it was terminal. Dad passed away 5 months after that appointment.
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Chris posted a photo on Reddit of Jason Lee taken at Lee's new camera shop, Eagle Rock Camera in Dec when he met him. (confession: I had to search Jason Lee because I couldn't remember who he was!) I assume the camera shop is the company that will provide his insurance but policies vary so much. Kyle had to change insurance companies so Jenny could get treated at COH and he worked for a large employer. Lee donated $1000 to GFM 16 days ago.

He again replied to a driving comment that he will defer to his medical team but someone did post " Christopher you need to talk to an attorney. it is my understanding that the Wisconsin law of 90 days of no driving after a seizure cannot be waived based on recommendations of a neurologist or oncologist without a written request being made to the Wisconsin DMV/DOT using the Medical Examination Report." Somehow I don't think he'll pay attention to that but he'll definitely never film in the car again.

It’s the same way in my state of Maryland.

 

[AlwaysScience]

When my Dad had brain cancer, (glioblastoma) the oncologist painted a picture that my Dad could survive, that they could get rid of the tumor with radiation, and it wouldn’t grow back for 2 years. My Dad wound up bedbound. We were able to get him to his follow-up MRI. The oncologist said the tumor had shrunk drastically! But Dad was sitting in a wheelchair, could hardly speak, and in bad shape all around. That doctor never once said it was terminal. Dad passed away 5 months after that appointment.
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It’s the same way in my state of Maryland.

I am so sorry for your dad and your family that you were not given a realistic idea of how much time he likely had left and the level,of disability he might have in that time. All of us deserve to know the odds we are up against.

 

[BCrowl]

I am so sorry for your dad and your family that you were not given a realistic idea of how much time he likely had left and the level,of disability he might have in that time. All of us deserve to know the odds we are up against.

Thank you so much. Yes, it was so confusing and heartbreaking. You are so right, we all deserve to know the truth.

 

[Bassethoundmama]

I find it oddly satisfying that so many comments are calling out him driving in the video. There's something about this guy that just rubs me the wrong way. Not that I think he's faking his illness, just his manner. How he responds to comments, etc.

 

[AlwaysScience]

I find it oddly satisfying that so many comments are calling out him driving in the video. There's something about this guy that just rubs me the wrong way. Not that I think he's faking his illness, just his manner. How he responds to comments, etc.

I’m glad that so many people realize that he is putting others at risk by driving given his condition, and the fact that he is medicated.

I have the same uncomfortable feeling. I keep thinking about his complaint that he might have to spend “hundreds” of dollars to get a definitive diagnosis. That wasn’t just a ridiculous estimate - his complaint about it struck me as evidence of an attitude of entitlement. A lot of Americans are spending hundreds of dollars every month just for medical insurance with high deductibles. He refused to enroll in and pay for medical insurance for himself until he got a cancer diagnosis.

 

[Bassethoundmama]

Yes! I agree. He claims to want to be, "humble and transparent" but he comes across arrogant and self promoting. As far as him driving, I see that as selfish. Yes our ability to drive gives us independence but my God. Imagine if he had a seizure? He could kill someone simply because he drove. I would never wish his diagnosis on anyone but I find it hard to "like" him.

 

[mayday mayday]

I'm not sure if I'm supposed to say Trigger Warning first but I want to now say why I took an immediate dislike to this guy. I see this moron speeding down a highway while calmly discussing his potentially lethal disease. A few seconds with eyes off the road ... well we know what can happen. On Easter morning my son's GF's brother was killed in a single vehicle accident. He was coming home and was still out of state when it happened. He was only 25 years old and had so many plans for his future. He already owned 2 acres of property where he was planning to live kind of "off the grid". For whatever reason he ran off a two lane road in the middle of nowhere and the family will probably never know why. Then I see Mr. Photo Guy running his mouth while driving, at one point he's on a highway speeding merrily along. Just so wrong.