“The total that I gave is so humiliating, I hate myself for believing him and thinking that a human being needed help. I thought it was important that people knew his history, given he was asking for money. While estranged, he had a family.”Doug Ruch travelled to various states across the US to volunteer his time, fundraising for the travel costs through GoFundMe. Photo / Open HandThe “Dying to Serve” tour involved Ruch attempting to do an act of volunteering in all 50 US states, a mission he raised US$230,000 ($385,750) for through crowdfunding app GoFundMe. “Unfortunately, due to the broken United States healthcare system, Doug has spent his life savings just trying to survive these last few years,” the website reads.

Source: New Zealand Herald February 25, 2026 10:05 UTC