Supporters come to the aid of beloved ‘Dr. Z’

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Known to most as “Dr. Z,” Dr. Michael L. Zollicoffer ’85 (MD) spent 40 years caring for folks in Baltimore, never asking for payment. Then he became the patient, facing big bills for chemotherapy for renal and colorectal cancers because he lacked Medicare Part B insurance.

Friends and patients came to his aid, creating a GoFundMe and raising $135,000 in four months. His supporters took to heart his way of providing medical care to many who cannot afford to pay. “You don’t always get to see what they call ‘your flowers’ while you’re alive. But folks came to save me,” he said. “It’s not the ‘me’ of life. It’s the ‘we’ of life.”

In March, CBS Evening News aired an “On the Road” story about the effort. Messages of support, hope and compassion flooded in. “People from all over the world . . . people from Puerto Rico call me, people from Africa call me. It is just the most beautiful situation,” Zollicoffer said.

Contributions surged.  A man donating $5,000 wrote, “I ain’t got a lot, but I’m going to give you something. … You need much more than this. But it’s all I can do . But what you’re giving me is the feeling of love and compassion.”

They raised more than $280,000. The best news? The colorectal tumor shrunk by half, there’s no metastatic disease, and his prognosis is good. Zollicoffer remains realistic. “It’s cancer, and that thing can twist the world if it wants to,” he said.

Carolina memories

Before the CBS exposure, Zollicoffer was well known in Baltimore, where he and his three brothers were reared by his mother, Mary Batts Zollicoffer, and his father, Dr. Lawrence Zollicoffer ’62 (MD). One of the first Black people admitted to Carolina’s medical school, Lawrence Zollicoffer practiced medicine in Baltimore for 10 years before dying from colon cancer in 1976.

Michael Zollicoffer followed his father’s footsteps to Carolina’s medical school. He found joy wherever he was on campus — moving into Craige dormitory during summer heat, trudging uphill to Berryhill Hall lectures and assessing patients on morning rounds. To show appreciation for patients, he made huge cards that he and classmates signed.  “I was a good artist back then,” he said.

Elected class president, he also started a chapter of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, which helps students stay in school and graduate.

“Those were the joys that I first remember,” Zollicoffer said. “The whole thing was exhilarating because I got to do what I always wanted to do. That is the greatest feeling. I can still feel it now.”

Zollicoffer bonded with Dr. Alan Cross, a pediatrics and social medicine professor. When he had to repeat his second year, Cross helped him stay on top of classes and deal with any struggles and later helped him get a residency at Baltimore’s Mount Sinai Hospital. “I could call him day or night about anything,” Zollicoffer said of his late mentor.

Through the medical school, the two established the annual Zollicoffer Lectureship to honor Lawrence Zollicoffer. The Lawrence Zollicoffer-Alan Cross Community Health Fellowship supports medical students focused on community health.

Zollicoffer chaired the University’s and the medical school’s boards of visitors and served as a vice chair of the UNC General Alumni Association. He received the medical school’s William deB. MacNider Award as the student who classmates think exemplifies the attributes of a good doctor. The GAA’s 2010 Black Alumni Reunion recognized him with the Harvey E. Beech Outstanding Alumni Award.

“People who were undergrads usually get those awards, so you can see how all the Tar Heels just embraced me. It’s humbling,” he said. “Carolina Blue, baby. … I love me some Carolina.”

‘Every day is a joy’

Zollicoffer works in his modest clinic — wearing a chemo pump some days — joyously seeing patients, from age 80 to newborns. Sixto Danois, 30, was one of those babies and now brings his sons to the clinic. “Dr. Z has a Denzel (Washington) demeanor,” Danois said. “Calm, cool, collected, but a straight shooter.”

“He’s a father figure to many,” said Erica Anderson, his medical assistant for 18 years. “He’s funny, personable and humble, just taking care of everyone, hardly taking care of himself. He’s been trying to fix the world and health care since I’ve known him.”

Taking care of people is a gift, Zollicoffer said. “The world gave me a gift. … To be here every day is a joy.”