ROSEVILLE, Mich. — At 80 years old, most people hope to be enjoying retirement, but for one Metro Detroit grandfather, retirement is a luxury his family says he simply cannot afford.
Roseville resident George McCarthy is currently battling lung cancer and recently underwent surgery to remove a tumor. Less than a week later, his granddaughter says he was back behind the wheel delivering pizzas.
"I have no choice," McCarthy said.
Watch Peter Maxwell's report in the video player below:
Those four words sum up his reality. He's battling lung cancer, recovering from surgery, and still getting behind the wheel to deliver pizzas — not because he wants to, but because he says he can't afford to stop and enjoy retirement.
"I have to do it to survive," McCarthy said.
McCarthy has battled prostate cancer and kidney cancer, and is now battling lung cancer.
He has been a delivery driver for 20 years at Jet's Pizza in Roseville, but at 80 and with his newest diagnosis, he says it's hard.
McCarthy was retired but had to find a job when he discovered his Social Security was not enough to help pay for some of his medical bills that weren't covered by Medicare.
"Everything is backed up and maxed out," McCarthy said.
At the Jet's Pizza at 15 Mile Road and Schoenherr, his manager, Anthony Boschian, has seen firsthand just how dedicated McCarthy is to his job.
"The whole store loves him. The crew loves him. Model employee. Always early and he stays late whenever you need him," Boschian said.
But behind that dedication is a grandfather whose family wishes he could finally slow down.
"It hurts me every single day," said Ashely Lafata, McCarthy's granddaughter.
Lafata says watching him continue to work while battling cancer and recently having surgery to remove a tumor from his lung has been difficult.
"When he had that tumor removed just recently, to hear that he was just going back to work I was like you don't want to recover a little bit? you don't want to relax? and he's like I've got to work," Lafata said.
Lafata reached out to me, and in her message, she said she wasn't even sure her grandfather's story was worth sharing, but she hoped someone would listen and, more importantly, be willing to help so McCarthy can return to retirement.
"He has to rest," Lafata said.
Lafata launched a fundraiser to help ease McCarthy's financial burden so he can spend less time worrying about his next paycheck and more time recovering, resting and being with the people he loves.
"I have a wonderful family that keeps me going," McCarthy said.
The Jet's Pizza location at 15 Mile Road and Schoenherr is hosting a fundraiser and plans on donating a portion of its sales on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, to McCarthy. Jet's corporate says it will match those donations.
If you'd like to help George, his family has organized an online fundraiser. You can find the link here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
