Dragon Ball Z remains one of the most iconic anime to ever make its way to the U.S., and much of its success is thanks to its actors. The English dub is still an iconic work for millions of anime lovers out there, and few voices from the anime are as memorable as Frieza. These days, actor Christopher Ayres oversees the despotic villain for the anime, and he has reached out to fans for help after experiencing surgery complications from his double lung transplant.
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Over one Twitter, fellow Dragon Ball star Christopher Sabat put a spotlight on Ayres after the actor posted a GoFundMe to assist with his mounting medical bills. “Please help Frieza reach his ultimate form,” Sabat shared.
On the actual donation page, Ayres documents his recent medical complications to fans who have been following his fight against COPD. The actor was diagnosed with the disease in November 2017 and has been very vocal about his experience with the end-stage illnesses. In the past, fundraisers were held to raise money for Ayres’ initial treatment that made him eligible for a double lung transplant.
“People in the medical industry commonly refer to the double lung transplant as the “Million Dollar Surgery”, and now I understand why. The cost of the surgery itself was in the hundreds of thousands, with a two month hospitalization period. I still require a battery of 41 pills a day, with addition breathing and nebulizer treatments. I also require a continuous supply of medical masks, and sanitizing products (that have suddenly become fairly difficult to acquire) along with more sanitizing wipes and alcohol swabs than used by my favorite TV detective, Adrian Monk,” Ayres shared with fans on his donation page.
“While I am grateful to have insurance that covers a percentage of my costs, every new x-ray, cliic, and surgical procedure require co-payments. I know that I am blessed to even be alive, but the cost of all of these things combined have depleted most all of the money both raised, granted, and saved up at the beginning of this journey. While these expenses continue to add up, I am unable to work, until I am cleared to do so.”
At this time, Ayres is hoping to raise $75,000 overall and has already gotten just over $14,000. For now, the Dragon Ball actor is relying on the help of family, friends, and fans to get him through this difficult time. But if he is even a third as stubborn as Frieza, then Ayres will get through this just fine.
Have you sent Ayres your best wishes yet? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!
