Guitarist Chris Holmes, 68, Undergoing Radiotherapy For Prostate Cancer Amid Financial Strain Due To Limited Insurance Coverage—Help For Those Struggling With Medical Bills

“We never imagined we would have to write something like this again. In 2022, just after two years of Covid lockdown, Chris faced throat cancer. A GoFundMe carried us through an impossible moment. We were deeply grateful, and we hoped we would never have to ask again,” Holmes’ wife wrote on the crowdfunding page.

“Today life has placed us in another hard situation, and we want to speak about it honestly. Chris has begun radiotherapy in France for prostate cancer. The treatment is essential and cannot be interrupted.”

RELATED: Guide to Financial Planning After a Cancer Diagnosis: Planning Is So Important For Peace of Mind

She continued, “Because of an administrative error linked to our marriage registration, the health insurance system placed Chris under ’emergency only’ coverage. He had to wait three months before receiving any care at all, and only the radiotherapy given during the month of July is covered.”

Catherine explained that while some aspects of his care are covered, their family is responsible for many of the ongoing costs, including hormone therapy, scans and PET scans, biopsies, blood tests, and daily travel to and from the hospital.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Catherine Holmes (@catherine_holmes_management)

Their family has accumulated approximately $23,000 in medical debt, she noted, and the ongoing costs of treatment are expected to increase each month.

“Chris must remain in France to receive radiotherapy. Leaving the country would risk his emergency status lapsing, so he cannot travel and therefore cannot work,” she continued.

RELATED: A Quick Guide to Getting Help Paying The Cancer Bills– Now That Treatment Is Expected to Rise 30% In A Decade

“We are grateful to France for granting the emergency coverage that allowed Chris to begin radiotherapy. Now we ask, humbly, for help covering everything else.”

Holmes, who was declared “cancer-free” just five months after being diagnosed with throat cancer and undergoing seven weeks of radiation therapy in 2022, has since spoken out to Canada’s The Metal Voice about his prostate cancer journey.

The California native said, according to Blabbermouth.net, “My dad had it, and they say it’s hereditary or whatever. And the good thing is it’s 100% curable. It’s just going through what I gotta go through.”

It’s important to understand that prostate cancer is not always curable — but when it’s caught at a localized stage (confined to the prostate) or regional stage (spread only to nearby tissue or lymph nodes), the five-year relative survival rate exceeds 99%, and these cancers can often be successfully treated and cured.

Holmes has not disclosed the stage of his prostate cancer, but it’s possible this is what he was referring to when he said “100% curable.”

Treatment options vary significantly depending on whether the prostate cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, has become locally advanced, or has spread to a more advanced stage.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, radiation therapy uses high-energy rays or particles to destroy prostate cancer cells and can treat both early-stage and more advanced disease. It may be used on its own or alongside other treatments, help manage recurrent or limited metastatic prostate cancer, slow tumor growth, reduce fracture risk, and relieve pain in advanced cases.

RELATED: How Patient Navigators Help With Finances, Transportation & More During Your Cancer Journey

Holmes said he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in February 2025 after an incidental finding on a full-body scan performed during a routine follow-up for his throat cancer—about a year after he’d first mentioned frequent nighttime urination to his doctor, who had attributed it to normal aging.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chris Holmes Official 🗨 (@chris_holmes_official)

He also shared that he initially tried to keep his prostate cancer diagnosis private until he and his wife realized their insurance would not cover all of the medical expenses associated with his treatment.

“They only give me emergency insurance, which only pays for the radiation. That’s it. Not for any of the scans, not the medicine, not traveling to the hospital,” he said. So anyway, that happens, and then about maybe last month, [my wife] and I were sitting here. We were adding up everything to see if we can get through the year, and we just went, ‘There’s no way we’re gonna get close. There’s no possible way.'”

Holmes then praised the GoFundMe for helping him.

“I won’t be kissing the credit card company and having to claim bankruptcy. I’ve never done that. But it’s okay. I’m getting through it. A lot of people are donating, helping me out. I appreciate it,” he added.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Headbangers Brigade (@headbangersbrigade)

Understanding Radiation Therapy For Prostate Cancer

Radiation therapy can kill prostate cancer cells with the same success rate as surgery, but with fewer side effects, Dr. Michael J. Zelefsky, a professor of radiation oncology at NYU Langone Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet.

According to Zelefsky, radiation therapy can be more convenient and less invasive than many other available treatments for advanced prostate cancer. It can be used before, after, or with other treatments such as surgery or chemotherapy

“Radiation therapy is a very effective treatment for prostate cancer,” he tells SurvivorNet. “We are able to deliver high doses of radiation very precisely to the prostate, with minimal doses to the surrounding normal tissues.”

Radiation has several advantages over some other treatments:

• Non invasive approach that does not require surgery
• Radiation directly to the tumor sparing other tissues
• Can spare nerves related to sexual function
• Extremely low risk of urinary leakage

How Targeted Radiation Can Treat Advanced Prostate Cancer Faster and With Outcomes Equal to Surgery. Is It Right for You?

Radiation therapy is a targeted treatment for prostate cancer. It uses high-energy X-rays to destroy cancer cells.

There are many approaches to deliver radiation therapy to treat prostate cancer including Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and brachytherapy,  a few of the newer approaches include:

• SBRT (Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy): A condensed form of targeted radiation therapy delivered in a much shorter time frame that can be as effective as several weeks of traditional radiation. With SBRT patients usually complete treatment in just 2 weeks. SBRT is not right for every patient so ask your treating team if you are a good candidate for this type of radiation therapy.
• MRI-Linac: Radiation therapy guided by an MRI that can make real-time adjustments for better accuracy.

To decide what type of radiation therapy to use, your doctor will assess the specific characteristics of your prostate cancer, most likely using these three tests:

• Gleason score, which is a grading system that helps predict how fast your cancer may grow and spread. The Gleason score looks at the aggressiveness of prostate cancer cells under a microscope and is assigned by a type of doctor called a pathologist.
• PSA test, which looks at the amount of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in your blood. Higher PSA levels suggest prostate cancer, although other conditions like infection or inflammation can also raise PSA levels.
• Imaging, depending on the PSA level and Gleason Score your treatment team may also order additional imaging tests such as a bone scan, CT scan, MRI, or PSMA-PET scan.

Having this detailed analysis ensures that you get an effective and safe treatment plan. This personalized approach is important for getting the best outcome possible for each patient.

“Choosing treatments based on the disease characteristics is so critical,” Dr. Zelefsky, said. “It’s simply not a cookbook where one treatment fits all.”

How Radiation Therapy Works

It’s unclear what type of prostate cancer Holmes is battling, but for men diagnosed with localized disease, treatment options may vary depending on the cancer’s risk level, overall health, and personal preferences. Choices can include radiation therapy, surgery, active surveillance with close monitoring, or other personalized approaches. When prostate cancer has advanced beyond the prostate, treatment typically becomes more complex and may involve systemic therapies designed to target cancer throughout the body.

Radiation therapy for prostate cancer typically involves regular visits to a clinic for targeted treatments. During each session, you’ll lie still as advanced machines aim high-energy rays at the cancer cells.

The goal of the therapy is to destroy cancer cells while minimizing damage to the surrounding healthy tissue.

A Targeted Strike: How Radioligand Therapy Finds And Fights Advanced Prostate Cancer

You may feel anxious or uncomfortable during these sessions, but the treatment itself is painless. You won’t see or feel the radiation. However, you may experience some side effects such as:

• Fatigue
• Skin irritation in the treated area
• Urinary problems
• Loose stools or diarrhea

Any side effects are usually temporary (although some may be longer lasting or permanent). Your care team can help you manage them, and they will watch you closely throughout the treatment to address any concerns or symptoms you have.

For advanced metastatic prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, Dr. Zelefsky said your doctor may consider other treatment options beyond traditional radiation.

“These methods can offer relief and control even in more advanced stages,” Dr. Zelefsky explained. However, he adds that they typically don’t offer a cure.

Some treatment options for advanced disease your doctor may consider:

• Immunotherapy: Enhances the immune system with drugs like checkpoint inhibitors to target and combat cancer cells.
• Brachytherapy: Places radioactive “seeds” near tumors for precise radiation.
• Hormonal Therapy (ADT): Lowers testosterone with medication or orchiectomy, sometimes using anti-androgen drugs or secondary therapies.
• Radionuclide Therapy: Delivers focused radiation with radium-223 (Xofigo) for bone metastases treatment.
• Surgery: Considered for prostate removal or managing complications like spinal cord compression.
• Clinical Trials: Offers experimental treatments for metastatic prostate cancer patients to test out new and innovative therapies.

High-Dose Radiation: The Benefit May Outweigh The Risk

Help with the Cost of Cancer Treatment

Cancer treatment is incredibly expensive,” Laurie Ostacher, a Behavioral Health Clinician at Stanford Health Care, previously told SurvivorNet.

“How much coverage you have depends on your purchased insurance plan. Sometimes, when folks are younger, they might purchase a plan with a high deductible, assuming they won’t get ill. So, really, it’s helping them think about and kind of try and plan for the expenses that will be coming up. Your cancer center will often have a financial counselor to help you with that, who can sit down and go through the costs.”

WATCH: See how a social worker can help with cancer costs.

Financial toxicity is a term that has been coined to describe the problematic financial impact cancer treatment brings.

The consequences of cancer costs can extend beyond patients’ wallets. Some people feel they must cut their pills in half to extend their medications or not refill their medications for several weeks because they can’t afford it.

To begin your journey for financial assistance, start by talking to your doctor. Your cancer center can help address any concerns about the cost of your cancer drugs.

Ostacher also recommends exploring disability programs.

RELATED: Guide to Financial Planning After a Cancer Diagnosis 

“Most people are working when they’re diagnosed, and finances are a significant issue for them. So, for those who want to take some time off and can take time off, I will talk to them about the disability programs that exist,” she said.

“There’s the state disability program. Every state has a disability program. They vary from state to state. And then there’s also the federal disability program. So, I’ll help folks kind of sit down, look at their income, estimate how much money they will get, they will collect from disability, how to go about the application process,” Ostacher continued.

Other options may include taking part in paid clinical trials.

Sarah Stapleton, a clinical social worker at Montefiore Medical Center, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview that her primary role as a social worker is to advocate for patient needs in several different areas.

“It’s super important to see a social worker,” Stapleton said. “I think there’s a networking that they can assist you with, and they really have the strongest knowledge of the resources available to get you through the process … with social work, one of the primary roles is advocacy.

Clinical social worker Sarah Stapleton explains how she helps patients navigate treatment

“It’s meeting the patient and understanding the patient’s needs and understanding what it is you need in this very moment, whether that be financial resources, whether it be related to your insurance, transportation, or ultimately, the emotional process of getting through cancer treatment,” she added.

Dr. Nina Shah explains how some patients may be able to get help with cancer bills

Financial Resources to Consider During Cancer

If you have had trouble finding resources or answers about how to get help paying for cancer, there are a few routes you can consider. You can negotiate payment plans, seek out government assistance programs, or look to advocacy groups.

These are a few of the options cancer patients and their loved ones have to get help covering costs associated with treatment (from drug co-pays to travel assistance):

Covering Caregiver Costs

• Some states offer compensation to cancer caregivers. You can check with the Department of Health and Human Services for local resources.
• CancerCare offers free services to caregivers as well, and their oncology social workers may be able to connect struggling caregivers with mental health professionals, support groups, and other resources.

For Help With Treatment Bills

• The Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition can direct patients and their families to available local services.
• Many treatment centers offer extended payment plans and some may offer temporary payment delays, according to the American Cancer Society.
• CancerCare, which connects patients with oncology social workers, may be able to assist with co-pays, transportation, and other costs associated with care.
• The HealthWell Foundation may be able to help uninsured patients pay for treatment.
• The American Cancer Society may be able to link patients and their families up with local resources (they offer a 24/7 helpline).
• The Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF) works with patients and their insurance companies to resolve issues and may provide direct financial support to some patients.
• The Patient Access Network Foundation may be able to help with out-of-pocket costs associated with cancer treatment.

For Help With Transportation and/or Housing

• There are several programs that may be able to assist patients if they need to travel by plane to get treatment, including Air Care Alliance, the Corporate Angel Network, and PALS (Patient Airlift Services).
• Patients with Medicaid may be entitled to help paying for transportation costs to and from treatment.
• The American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program can hook patients and their families up with volunteer drivers.
• Mercy Medical Angels may be able to help patients and their families pay for transportation.
• The Healthcare Hospitality Network can assist with housing if a patient must be treated far from home.
• The American Cancer Society Hope Lodge Program gives patients and their caregivers a free place to stay during treatment in dozens of cities across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

For Help With Food

• Food assistance may be available to people going through cancer treatment and their caregivers. Look into the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – aka SNAP – or a program like Meals on Wheels.

Contributing: Survivornet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

---