Help Cory Fight Stage 4 Cancer & Keep His Promise!

Urgent: Help a Single Father Fight Stage 4 Cancer and Keep Their Home

This single father with stage 4 cancer is fighting to keep his family’s home, continue treatment, and fighting to stay alive for his 9-year-old daughter, Gemma.

Hi, my name is Cory Thompson, and I’m a single father fighting for my life, to keep my family’s home—and even more importantly, for my daughter’s future.

We are currently facing eviction from our apartment in a few weeks and we need your help.

In January 2025, I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.

The doctors told me in January I’d be lucky to make it two years. They said then that surgery wasn’t even an option because the cancer had spread too far.

The only option was chemotherapy every two weeks to prolong my life as long as I could handle the side effects from the treatments until I pass.

It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to hear and my immediate response was:

“That’s not going to be acceptable. I have to be here for my daughter so I will beat this!”

Since then, I’ve gone through 10 rounds of chemotherapy, with 2 more scheduled this month. Then another set of scans to evaluate the next steps.

The day of the second treatment, our Pastor from our Church in Nebraska just happened to be here in Florida. He spent the day with me talking about how God had great plans for my life and Gemma’s and that he knew I will beat this and when he prayed over me that day, I knew right then the healing had begun and felt in my heart that I can do this through God’s grace and blessings.

The side effects have not been easy, but I’ve been lucky they aren’t worse. The hardest has been the fatigue for a few days after each treatment, but I keep pushing through—for Gemma.

I am blessed to have full custody of her. She and I moved here to FL from Nebraska about a year and a half ago to start a new life here after her mother and I split up, and we have no other family nearby.

We have found an incredible church and community here in Stuart as well as some wonderful friends through her school, our church and her local wrestling club.

She’s my entire world and my biggest reason for fighting this cancer each and every day. I’m all that she has and she’s depending on me to take care of her, provide for her and help her to realize her own future hopes and dreams.

She’s been wrestling for the past four years and dreams of one day competing in the Olympics. She has been training very hard these past few years and recently won her first FL State Championship.

While we were watching the Paris Games together on TV last summer, she asked me to take her to watch the next Olympics in person.

I promised her I would take her to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles—and I WILL keep that promise. She’s my reason for fighting to stay alive.

And there’s real hope now…

My recent scans after my 8th round showed incredible improvement. All the tumors except the main one are dead, that one has shrank almost 60% and there are no new tumors at all.

The doctors were amazed at my progress and now believe surgery is back on the table, and the plan is to do it later this year after several more rounds of chemo.

Because of this, my chances of beating this cancer have now significantly improved. God is working on our side for sure!

But despite that progress, we’re facing an extremely urgent financial crisis.

Because of the missed work due to the treatments, I’ve fallen behind financially, and we are now facing eviction soon.

I’m blessed to still be working as much as I can, and I thought I could handle things on my own, but the chemotherapy treatments have caused me to miss 8–10 workdays each month.

Because of the missed work the last 6 months, I’ve fallen behind on rent and other bills, and we’re now facing eviction within the next week or so.

What We Urgently Need Now

I’m asking for $25,000 to help us:

How You Can Help

I’ve never thought I would ever have to ask for this—but I know now can’t do this alone.

Your support will help me to keep fighting to stay alive, Gemma and I to stay in our home, and for her and I to stay together.

If you’re able to contribute—no matter how small—it would mean everything to us.

I’m only asking for what we need and not more because as my health continues to improve I plan to be back to work full time before the end of the year and able to again fully provide for us on my own.

I’m determined to beat this cancer and keep us together and keep my promises to Gemma.

I plan to be still be alive and sitting next to her at the 2028 Olympics—and well beyond that by helping her to watch and meet the wrestlers who inspired her at those LA games and help fuel her fire towards achieving her own dreams, and to hopefully be there when she does compete in the 2036 or 2040 Games.

If you can’t donate, please share this with others who might be able to help.

Thank you for reading our story and God Bless you for that.

With love and gratitude,

Cory & Gemma