Cornhole Tournament May Save Colorado Dad's Life: 'What Life's All About'
HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. – People from across the country came together in Highlands Ranch Saturday for a father who is suffering from a rare form of cancer.
Kyle King, 33, of Parker, played cornhole for fun in college. Now the game may help save his life.
Two and a half years ago, King went in for a hernia repair and found out he had cancer of the appendix.
"It's a very fast progressing cancer. And it's not easy to get rid of," King told CBS4's Melissa Garcia.
Pseudomyxoma Peritonei, also known as PMP, usually starts in the appendix and spreads through the abdominal lining.
Hundreds gathered at Red Tail Park for a fundraiser cornhole tournament. 64 teams played the bag-tossing game near the neighborhood where King and his brother, Lance, grew up.
"It's been absolutely amazing. I mean, we have people who drove in from Aspen. (People) flew in from Las Vegas," Lance said of the benefit event.
"I flew out very late last night, and we leave early tomorrow, but we made it work. Because it's important and that's what life's all about. Friends and family," said Danielle Bisterfeldt, a friend who came from Las Vegas, Nevada to attend the fundraiser.
Four surgeries in the last year and ongoing chemotherapy can make it hard for King to be there for wife Shannon, his daughter Finley, 6, and his son Kolby, 3.
"The hardest part is just not being yourself. Cancer can take so much away from you, but you can't let it take everything away from you," King said.
Making matters harder, he just lost his job, and medical bills are piling up. Loved ones hope the fundraiser will help to ease the family's financial burden.
"Kyle is no longer employed, so he's having to pay for his health insurance in full, we have to see a specialist because of how rare his cancer is out in Omaha," Lance said.
The disease is so rare that doctors diagnose one in a million. Funding is scarce.
So far the fundraiser has brought in at least $15,000 of the $25,000 goal, but more funds are needed.
LINK: YouCaring Site For Kyle King
Melissa Garcia has been reporting for CBS4 News since March 2014. Find her bio here, follow her on Twitter @MelissaGarciaTV, or send your story idea to mkgarcia@cbs.com.
