Rally for Coach Joel's Final Expenses

Hello, my name is Laura Cortez and I have a very compelling story to tell. I was introduced to an incredible individual named Coach Joel Looper. He saw something in my son Troy and believed in building him as a kicker for football. He said he sees tremendous potential in him. As my son and I got to know him, we saw what an amazing human being he is and how he has dedicated most of his life to volunteering his time as a coach.

He moved to North Carolina 8 years ago, pursuing a career as a special teams coach. He worked with local Sears in Harlingen for 5 years, where he became not only a salesman but also a Spanish translator for the store. He graduated from South Texas ISD Med High in Mercedes. He attended UTRGV, STC, and TSC to get all his basic credits out of the way and then transferred to Texas A&M Kingsville, where he received his bachelor's degree in kinesiology. He volunteered 400 hours with the Javelina football team in Kingsville and received a ribbon of recognition for his dedication and volunteer hours, something that had never been done before.

He moved to North Carolina from 2016 through 2020, where he worked with Sears until they closed the store, AutoZone, Grub Delivery, and finally at Carolina Pool Company. He volunteered as a coach for several years until Cuthbertson High School gave him a job as a coach. They taught him everything he knows. In 2020, he came back to RGV to take care of his mom and dad. In December 2021, he was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer, which metastasized to his liver. He has been battling this for 4 years with the help of Texas Oncology. In August 2024, he decided to go to MD Anderson and enter their clinical study. His thinking was that if he did not survive the treatment, at least he could contribute to their research to help other people. After his second chemo treatment, his health started to decline. His prognosis is liver failure. He is 37 years old, born on 1-23-1987.

He started private coaching football kicking lessons 2 years ago. He has kids from Corpus Christi, Calallen, Los Fresnos, Rio Hondo, Edinburg, McAllen, and UTRGV. He finally made a difference and impact in these kids' lives. Some look up to him as a mentor, father, buddy, and coach. His main goal for these kids is to get them to a good college with a full-ride scholarship. He has already done that for some of the kids.

He personally called to ask for assistance in helping his family cover his own funeral expenses. That is always his language. His language of love. He is still caring for others in his own battle with this disease. This is who he is. I humbly ask all my friends and Facebook community to please help Coach’s family with these upcoming expenses. It has already taken a huge toll on the family with travel and treatment to MD Anderson. Anything helps, please consider donating. God bless you all.