A father of five is asking for your help in his fight against cancer.
Josh Stone is a La Vega High School graduate and Air Force Master Sgt. who lives in Delaware.
Stone has dedicated his life to serving our country and now he's fighting to stay alive.
"It's usually a slow growing cancer. They usually don't find it until you're in your 50s or 60s," Stone said. "Mine is an atypical, faster growing, aggressive form."
A very rare, cancerous tumor called a carcinoid is taking over Stone's body. It's been spreading to different parts of his bones and organs since 2016.
"There's five vertebrae on my spine that are cancerous now," Stone said. "My hip bone, shoulder blade. It's in my liver."
It's part of his life that's difficult to talk about, but he's staying positive with the help of his loved ones who will do whatever it takes to get him the care he needs.
"The form of treatment that Josh needs is overseas and it comes with a really heavy price tag," said Taryn Smith, Stone's cousin. "We pulled together as much as we could as a family, but there came a point where we had to sit down and realize that we needed to ask for some more help."
Smith organized a special event that brought Stone back to Central Texas for the weekend. The Stone Strong Fundraiser was held on Feb. 18 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Bellmead Civic Center.
Hundreds of people showed up to grab a bite to eat and participate in a raffle. Support from the community brought Stone one step closer to his $70,000 goal.
"It's hard to ask for help, but sometimes you need to ask for help," Stone said.
Stone said this money will go towards additional treatment that has been found to be successful with this form of cancer. At this point in time, the treatment is only available in Switzerland.
"He's going to put a smile on your face, no matter what kind of mood you're in and we have to fight for that," Smith said. "We have to fight for him. We have to fight for his family. His family is beautiful and they are all just great people."
A fight he's sure to win, with the help of those who are Stone Strong.
"They are my support," Stone said. "They keep me from giving up."
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