MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Friends and family hosted a barbecue cook-off to raise money for a local graphic designer and professor at Horry-Georgetown Technical College who is fighting stage four esophageal cancer.
38-year-old Andre Pope was diagnosed with cancer last Christmas Eve. Since then, he has undergone several rounds of chemotherapy to treat the cancer, but it has spread to multiple locations throughout his body.
Andre’s friends say he is always helping others, so they wanted to do something to help him as he fights the battle of his life.
They set a goal to raise $50,000 during the cook-off to pay for Andre’s cancer treatments and to help his wife and two young children.
“The cancer has spread throughout his body, and now we’re raising money for his family so it can lessen the burden a little bit and make them more comfortable as they go through this process, Philip Jackson, Executive Director of the Surf Dreams Foundation said.
Hundreds of people came together to show their support on Saturday.
“It just goes to show you how many lives he’s touched and what kind of person he was, but it’s awesome to see the community rally behind this to reach a goal,” Brent Densford, one of Andre’s former students said.
“He’s a really good person, and that’s what matters. Andre has always helped everybody in the community. He’s one of the best guys you’ll ever meet and so is his family, and we’re just proud to be able to do this for him,” Jackson said.
To make a donation to Andre Pope and his family, Venmo or PayPal SCNEEDSHELP@gmail.com.
