COMANCHE, Okla_Juan Reyez from Waurika has no health insurance and is battling cancer for the second time in the last 90 days. This time he has brain tumors. He's already sold a car and some personal items to help pay for his previous cancer treatments. Now there's nothing left to sell, but Juan has hope and people who care enough to help.
During our time together Juan talked about the cancer and the people from Comanche who are helping his family. For Juan, his wife is the most important part of the fight.
"She's the one that keeps me strong. She's the one that has kept me together."
It hasn't been easy keeping it together. Of all things, T-ball has provided a distraction. In Comanche, the undefeated Little Sluggers T-ball team, played in their championship game. Juan and Victoria's son Johnny is on that team. Johnny worries about his dad, dad worries about Johnny.
"I had a seizure for the first time. He didn't talk about it, but at school, his teachers said that he has a hundred questions."
The parents of the Little Sluggers want to help Juan and his family so they organized a softball tournament. Dasha Rogers and Lacey Jones said it's not just because Juan coaches their sons in soccer. It's the way he does it.
"He has treated each kid like they were his own kid and that means a lot. Just treating my son like he's his own and helping him as much as possible," Dasha said.
"He's great with the kids whether it's soccer that he knows well or if he's out hereon the tee ball field helping us. he's great, my son loves to play for him, to me that said a lot whenever my kid loves to play for somebody and wants to keep coming back," Lacey said.
The cancer has come back. It was gone for less than 60 days.
"There is a tumor in the back of my head and two little ones. I'm thinking to myself okay, the first time they told me 80 to 90 percent remission and then she said 50."
Juan said he has a lot left to do, he wants to coach Johnny's soccer team again this fall and his daughter too, she'll be playing for the first time. Then there's a promise he made to Victoria. They'll celebrate their six year anniversary next month.
"I know she's not going to let me get off of this so she's always saying ‘you promised me my wedding.' We went to the courthouse so she goes ‘you're not going to get away so easy.' So that's another thing I need to look forward to."
He has a whole town behind him, people from other towns too. Wednesday, July 4th, will be a big day in Comanche, with music and fireworks for all. As well as the softball tournament, raffles, a silent auction, food and drinks to benefit the Reyez family to help Juan fight cancer.
They are asking everyone to come and join them to help the Reyez family.
