'End-stage pancreatic cancer and they told him to drink salt water': YouTuber Oliver Sam reveals father's death

Oliver Sam, a YouTuber with about 2.25 million subscribers, has shared the story of his father's death in the United States — a man who suffered from pancreatic cancer and died without receiving proper treatment.

A video titled "'1% chance of survival' — surviving the American inferno: a miracle | Ep. People's Walk 21 (Oliver Sam and his wife, Part 1)" was posted Sunday on the YouTube channel "Chaek-gwa Salm."

In the video, Oliver Sam and his wife spoke about the problems his father encountered with the American healthcare system.

"Access was difficult, and when he finally got to see a doctor, the doctor didn't run any tests — he just said something like, 'You probably have a stomach problem, drink some salt water and rest,' and sent him home," Oliver Sam said.

His wife added that the symptoms had appeared quite some time earlier, but that in the United States a patient must first see a primary care physician and obtain a referral before any tests can be ordered. "His primary care doctor diagnosed it as indigestion, so he couldn't get any tests done," she said.

"As a Korean, I was shocked to hear 'drink salt water and rest.' My heart broke thinking about my father-in-law walking out of there in pain, feeling so helpless," she said.

"My father was the pillar of our family. Even when he was later diagnosed with cancer, he didn't cry — he just calmly said everything would be fine," Oliver Sam said.

The couple also recounted another ordeal: their daughter Cherry had developed an abscess around her navel and needed surgery, but the hospital refused to perform the procedure because the insurance plan they carried was not among the types the hospital accepted.