Frail Arizona man, 80, works as full-time Lyft driver to pay his and wife's medical bills

Published: 00:06, 8 April 2026 | Updated: 00:25, 8 April 2026 A frail 80-year-old Marine veteran who served in Vietnam is now working full-time as a Lyft driver to help pay medical bills for himself and his wife. Richard Hoppin picks up passengers five days a week from the couple's only vehicle, and drops them off at locations across Arizona and even into California to make a couple hundred dollars. 'That extra money that he makes really keeps us into where we are,' Hoppin's wife, Catherine, told KYMA from their Sun City home.  'Otherwise, we'd probably be, I don't know... maybe we'd be homeless. I don't know.'  Hoppin has both multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease, and Catherine is fighting lung cancer. She recently underwent radiation treatment, three sessions of which cost $50,000. Insurance covered some of the cost, but she said she is still making payments. The couple now credits a lot of their ability to pay those bills to Hoppin's Lyft driving. 'I pick up, normally six to eight rides a day, normally five days a week,' he said. 'Some rides are real long, some are real short.'  Richard Hoppin picks up passengers five days a week from his and his wife's only vehicle, and drops them off at locations across Arizona and even into California He and his wife, Catherine, say the extra money is essential to help pay for their medical bills Hoppin's efforts have not gone unnoticed in the community. 'It breaks my heart to see him drive... to make ends meet,' said Michael Long, a friend and neighbor, who has started an online fundraiser to help relieve the couple's financial strain. It notes that the Hoppin couple lost their only son to cancer a few years ago and 'since then, they have had no one to care for them.' 'Their health is declining and the cost of medical care, food and utilities is overwhelming,' Long wrote in the fundraiser.  'With no family left to support them, they are relying on the kindness of neighbors and the community.' Long told KYMA he does not know the couple's 'real financial situation.' 'So I just hope that, you know, that the goodness of people will come forward and donate something, whatever just to make their lives a little bit more comfortable,' he said. 'That's all I can ask for.' More than 400 donors have since stepped up to help the couple, raising nearly $28,000 in funds for the couple as of Tuesday evening. Michael Long (left) has set up an online fundraiser to help ease the couple's financial burden But Hoppin said he does not mind the long drives, describing them as a way to keep busy during retirement and meet new people. 'After I retired, sitting at home isn't the thing,' he said. 'If you want to die, just sit at home. 'I thought I'd do something constructive and house people,' the Marine veteran continued. 'And they need a ride, so I give them a ride.' He added that he now hopes to keep driving for another five years, as long as his health remains the same.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.