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 RECENT
UPDATE ON WILLIAM TOWERY:
We have
great news to report about William Towery! His
doctors believe that he is now free of cancer, and after a long
court battle he was awarded money for disability benefits that had
previously been denied and he will now be receiving a monthly
payment as a result of this ruling as well.
William was able to pay off all of his bills and had enough
to move out of his parent’s house (where he had been living
because of his financial difficulties) and become independent
again. Therefore,
William sent us a letter requesting that we give the remainder of
the raffle proceeds to our other beneficiaries, The Paloduro
Kid and Bill Falk, who are still in need of our help.
We are so pleased that things are looking up for William
and that we will be able to help the other two benefactors even
more!
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WILLIAM'S STORY AND
UPDATE PUBLISHED IN THE SEPT/OCT 2005 ISSUE OF SHOOT! MAGAZINE:
In 1983, at the age of
16, William O. Towery was diagnosed with cancer. Although he
had success in fighting this initial bout, he was diagnosed with
cancer again in 2003. Insomnia and depression, in addition
to recurring health problems, have slowed his recovery. One
thing that has helped William get through this difficult time has
been his involvement in cowboy action shooting with his home club
of the Tejas Caballeros in Driftwood, Texas. He struggles
every month to pay his bills and medical insurance because of
financial constraints due to his inability to work.
More recently, William went in for a
body scan this past December, something that he will have to have
regularly for several years to come. The test showed that
there might be some cancer remaining in his neck. Although
subsequent MRI and CAT scans were negative, his endocrinologist
was concerned since William was still not feeling well, and the
doctor decided that some more tests were warranted. An
ultrasound showed that there were suspicious nodes, which had to
be tested via needle biopsy, and the results came back
positive for cancer. He is hoping that it was all removed
with his surgery in May, in which the surgeon found five cancerous
tumors.
William is now on a medication that
will slowly help his body to better absorb the radioactive iodine
treatment and kill any remaining cancer cells. The coming
months will be a waiting period to see if he can recover to a
point where he can become employed again, or it is his hope that
he will at least be able to get a place of his own rather than
having to live with his parents. William continues to keep a
great attitude during this challenging time, saying about his
recent surgery scar on his neck, "things should heal up nicely
by the time the male swimsuit models are chosen," and to
"watch for his picture in fashion magazines everywhere!" |
