On Sunday, May 16th at 17:00 ET, Full Tilt Poker will host a $200+$100 charity tournament to raise funds for Thuy Doan, who is battling cancer. Doan has paid out considerable medical expenses and now requires a prosthetic leg. However, her insurance company will not foot the bill for the $15,000 procedure. As a result, the poker community has taken matters into its own hands.
One-hundred percent of the rake in the $200+$100 event will go straight to Doan’s medical expenses. The tournament can be found in the “Private” tab in the Full Tilt Poker lobby under the ID 158232539. Alternately, interested participants can click on “Requests,” “Find Tournament by ID,” and then type in the same nine-digit number. Doan is a 23 year-old player whose battle with cancer has been at the forefront of various charitable efforts in recent months.
Victory Poker pro Andrew “good2cu” Robl and UB.com front man Joe Sebok were two of the organizers of the fundraiser on Full Tilt Poker. Sebok worked with Howard Lederer to bring the tournament to Full Tilt, where the organizers felt it could have the widest reach. Robl told Poker News Daily, “We’re hoping to raise $15,000 and that means we’ll need 150 people to play.” Robl added, “Thuy is a sweet person. Everyone knows her, likes her, and appreciates her personality. It sucks to see someone so young have something like this happen to them.”
In December, 10-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Doyle Brunson, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Eli Elezra, and Barry Greenstein were among those who shaved their heads in support of Doan, who was undergoing chemotherapy. On April 28th, Doan appeared on the Versus poker show “Poker2Nite.” She told Sebok and co-host Scott Huff, “I’m excited to get back into poker. It’s the one thing that I miss the most.” Doan had recently undergone a partial amputation of her left leg.
Robl told Poker News Daily that if he were to cash in the Full Tilt Poker fundraising tournament, he’d donate his entire winnings to help cover Doan’s medical needs. He added, “Poker tournaments are a great way to raise money for charity. I play in a lot of live events put on by GreasieWheels. Full Tilt has also been great and wonderful with it.” If the efforts on Full Tilt Poker do not result in the $15,000 goal, Victory Poker has graciously volunteered to donate the remaining portion.
Doan is beloved in the industry. For Robl, she is a familiar face during each year’s WSOP: “We have a few mutual friends in poker. She lived with two of my friends last year during the Series and I’ve seen her every year in Las Vegas.” Doan is currently living with her mother in Virginia while recouping from her rigorous treatment. She final tabled a $3,000 No Limit Hold’em event during the 2008 WSOP for $69,000 and last year took 359th in the Main Event for another $30,000.
Full Tilt Poker, UB.com, and Victory Poker all accept customers from the United States. Come out and support Doan’s medical needs on Sunday, May 16th at 17:00 ET on Full Tilt.
