Dr. Vladimir “Zev” Zelenko, creator of the treatment that has become known as the “Zelenko Protocol,” passed away Thursday after a long battle with cancer.

“It is with immense sorrow that we announce the passing of our founder Dr. Vladimir “Zev” Zelenko. Dr. Zelenko was a physician, scientist, and activist for medical rights who touched the lives of millions of people,” Zelenko Labs said in a statement.

“Some were saved as his role as a doctor, and even more were inspired by his words,” the company added.

The group promised to “Keep Fighting,” by honoring the doctor’s legacy, though it has “lost a leader, a friend, and inspiration,” adding that this is “not only what Dr. Zelenko would want, it is what he told us to do.”

“Born in socialist slavery, and then immigrating to the United States, Dr. Zelenko was the embodiment of the American dream. The child of poor immigrants who rose to success as a physician and a businessman. But Dr. Zelenko was more than a physician,” the company stated. “As an activist and a businessman, he was also a man of deep faith, incredible love for his family, and a tireless inspiration to the company. But, perhaps most of all, Zev was our friend. The world knows the dynamic firebrand who never feared speaking the truth to power or about issues he cared deeply about. Dr. Zelenko was a man of great, subtle humor and deep intellect.”

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“For every verbal jab he threw at the tired and incompetent establishment, a dozen more light-hearted laughs were spent with him and the team. Dr. Zelenko could laugh at himself as easily as others, and was always in great spirits, no matter the darkness that surrounded him – something that’s easily overlooked in today’s climate of hypersensitivity,” it added.

Earlier this month, Zelenko announced that his Memoirs would be published by the end of summer. The book, co-authored by Human Events Managing Editor Brent Hamachek, will still be published posthumously.

“The world has lost a giant of a man, but only in physical form,” Hamachek said of Zelenko’s passing. “His contributions to medicine, to humanity, to our very souls will live eternally, as will he in God’s arms.  When his book is released, there will be a whole new chance for those who loved and admired him to experience him all over again.”

* This article was originally published here