Sam Lloyd, who played bumbling lawyer Ted Buckland in the American comedy-drama Scrubs, has been diagnosed with cancer.
The actor began experiencing headaches shortly after the birth of his first child with wife Vanessa, according to a GoFundMe page set up for his family.
Lloyds, 55, lost 10 pounds but assumed this was due to the stress of being a new father.
He had spent a large part of 2018 visiting his mother Marianna in Vermont, who was ill and needed to be moved into a care home.
A message written on the page, which features pictures of Lloyd in hospital surrounded by his family, said a visit to the doctor on January 17 revealed a “mass” on his brain.
He was operated on but surgeons were unable to remove it. They later found tumours in his liver, spine and jaw.
Lloyd’s portrayal of Sacred Heart Hospital’s kindly lawyer in the American medical drama earned him many fans.
The initiative has so far raised 32,122 US dollars (£24,798) of a goal of 100,00 dollars (£77,200).
Money raised will be used so that “Sammy can use the time ahead to get healthy, spend time with his wife, his new son, and his wonderful friends”.
This is Sam. He was Ted on SCRUBS. He’s a pal. Just had his first baby. Get involved if you can. I am. https://t.co/PwZQCuSC7G
— Bill Lawrence (@VDOOZER) February 5, 2019
Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence asked the public to “get involved if you can,” as he posted the fundraising page to Twitter.
He wrote: “This is Sam. He was Ted on Scrubs. He’s a pal. Just had his first baby. Get involved if you can. I am.”
Zach Braff, who starred in the NBC and later ABC drama, replied to Lawrence, describing Lloyd’s illness as “tragic.”
He said: “Tragic news from our beloved Sam (aka, Ted the Lawyer). I will of course be getting involved. Please send him your love.”
Lloyd’s representative have been contacted.