LOS ANGELES—A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to assist veteran performer/director Mario Rossi with his bone cancer treatment.
Rossi's close friend Andrew Youngman, who is also a performer/director with more than 20 years of adult industry experience, created the GoFundMe page.
"Hello everyone, I'm creating this page for my dear friend, Mark Kolozsvari, or many of you might know him by his stage name, Mario Rossi," Youngman writes in the description of the campaign. "He started in the industry as a performer and later became a director/photographer for various adult studios. Majority of you may know him from shooting at his house on Calatrana drive in Woodland Hills.
"For those who may not know Mark personally, he’s a genuine, fun, loving, and compassionate person; very down-to-earth and kind. He’s also an avid kitesurfer and the loving father of a beautiful six-year-old girl; who is his world.
"Unfortunately there was a dark and unexpected turn in Mark’s life. A few months ago, he was diagnosed with a very aggressive stage two bone cancer called osteosarcoma. The tumor is in his right ankle and it grew twice in size within three months. His doctor said, had the cancer been in his lungs, his prognosis would be three months to live. That’s how aggressive it is. As per the doctor's request which is the standard protocol for this type of cancer he immediately started to undergo the highest dose of chemotherapy.
"His doctor also said that due to the aggressiveness of his cancer, even if the chemotherapy treatment is successful, he will need to amputate his right leg below the knee to avoid risking further complications.
"When Mark told me this story a few weeks ago my heart sank. He said he’s made peace with the fact that he will lose his leg. He just doesn’t want to die. He wants to raise his daughter. He wants to see her grow up. She is his life."
Youngman says all the money raised will go to help Rossi's mounting medical bills, living expenses and his daughter's care. A native of Hungary, Rossi has more than 500 performing credits and 100-plus directing credits since 1996.
Click here to see the full description of the campaign.
