Support Scott Hudson's Cancer Recovery Journey

Our son, Scott Hudson, is a journalist that has served Augusta and the CSRA for 30 years, starting on WGAC radio in 1990 and most recently with The Augusta Press newspaper.

Scott has always been community minded and when he was not exposing corrupt politicians, he was out with his volunteer friends with the First Saturday Crew, cleaning up the Augusta Canal and helping transform the Canal Heritage area into the recreational spot it is today.

A survivor of childhood rape, Scott led the charge to pass the 2011 Judicial Reform Act which eliminated the statute of limitations on child predation.

In September of last year, Scott was diagnosed with stage 4 mouth and throat cancer. The cancer was on the cusp of infiltrating the nearby lymph node which would have sent the cancer throughout his entire body.

Immediately, Scott was put on an aggressive treatment regime that included radiation therapy five times a week as well as a once-a-week dose of chemotherapy formulated specifically to his form of cancer. Everyone prayed the disease would not “get loose” and use the lymph gland as a highway to get to his other organs.

The staff at Augusta Oncology as well as that of Augusta Radiology and Doctor’s Hospital worked tirelessly during the five-month treatment period but everyone was crestfallen when, in early March it appeared the cancer had migrated to the lungs.

Throughout this time, Scott only stopped writing for about three weeks when the medication rendered him totally bedridden. Scott was adamant that he should keep writing and instructed his doctors to lower the amount of pain medication so that he could be lucid and concentrate on writing.

Scott felt that if the end was near, he would use the remaining time to continue writing from the heart and since he was totally free to say whatever was on his mind, he would be remarkably candid, writing from the heart about the importance of failure and perseverance, how humans are mere specks in universe and while we are all unique in God’s eyes, we are only on earth a short time and it is our duty to be kind and help each other whenever possible.

With unbridled honesty, Scott allowed his readers to accompany him on the journey, documenting the incredibly painful ordeal with humor and wisecracks.

Scott ended every column with the words: “Don’t give up. Never give up!”

Many people battling cancer and their caregivers wrote how Scott’s words gave them hope and the desire to fight.

“I felt that there were some things God wanted me to say and I was comfortable in my faith that the Lord would not be taking me home until he was ready,” Scott said.

Throughout the community, Scott has been placed on virtually every prayer list available in Augusta and people from all over social media have joined in prayer, some asking God for a miracle.

In March, God delivered that miracle.

According to Scott, after a week where he was confined to his bed with his body weight having dropped to an alarming 141 lbs., Scott says the pain subsided in his mouth to allow him to eat some solid food instead of relying on the feeding tube. A few days later, the psoriasis that covered 90% of his body vanished.

A follow-up MRI and CT scan revealed that the cancer was gone from his mouth, throat, tonsils and lymph nodes. Most miraculously, the growths that were earlier discovered on his lungs vanished as if they had never been there.

We praise our Lord Jesus Christ for healing Scott and making him whole again.

Even with health insurance, fighting cancer is an extremely expensive proposition as much of the treatment and medication are not fully covered. While family and friends have helped Scott along covering some of the expenses, the experience has left Scott and his wife Jeannie with steep outstanding medical bills.

Scott still has more treatment to go, healing from burns in his mouth caused by the radiation and will have to remain on expensive medication for, at least, the next six months.

With few resources left, Scott is having to wait to have his feeding and PEC tubes removed and get dental attention from 6 months of not being able to open his mouth and even brush his teeth due to having a lifetime of savings run empty and the credit cards hit their max.

We are asking the public to help in any financial way possible. Scott’s close friend, Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson, wanted us to include this message from him:

“Scott Hudson has been a tireless servant to our community for decades and is a living legend in his field of journalism. I have been at Scott’s bedside as he bravely battled this cancer and I am still touched by his resiliency and faith.

I know that every penny will help him and his family finally put this chapter behind them and work on more great things to come,” Garnett Johnson said.

Thank you and God Bless!

Jim and Patsy McDow