He was shot 4 times outside a Myrtle Beach-area bar. Now his bills are nearing $1M

It was a three-hour wait outside of the hospital for Raven Cook the night her fiance was shot four times in the parking lot of a Myrtle Beach-area bar.

The hospital was on lockdown since a gunshot wound victim had been brought in. And John Fox was undergoing the first of about six surgeries from bullet wounds to his back, stomach and hand.

Cook, who has two children with Fox, rushed to the hospital after Fox's friends came and were beating on the bedroom window while she slept. His friends, she recalls, kept saying over and over, "John got shot. John got shot. John got shot."

Bullets broke Fox's ribs and his kidney was shot, Cook said. He's had his spleen removed and part of his pancreas is gone, too. Fox has lost 50 pounds since April 28, the night he was shot outside of Remedies Bar and Grill.

Now Cook is having a fundraiser Saturday to help with medical costs, household bills and raise awareness for gun violence in the area.

"John has a long road ahead of him," Cook said. "This has altered our lives forever."

Bills from multiple surgeries and staying in the hospital for more than a month total about $900,000, Cook said, and they are waiting to get approval from Medicaid to help with the costs.

Without a spleen, which plays a big role in the body's immune system, Fox will have to be cautious if he gets sick.

"Now if he gets a fever, he'll have to go to the hospital each time," she said. "And that's for the rest of his life."

She said they're unsure when he'll be released from the hospital.

"He's just thankful he's alive," Cook said, adding Fox is struggling between non-revengeful anger at the situation and letting it go.

Fox, originally from Hendersonville, North Carolina, has three children. He worked as a cook at The Chemist restaurant. Fox and Cook have been together for six years. It has been a tough balance visiting Fox in the hospital and taking care of the children, Cook said, and the children have noticed the absence of their father at home.

"I just told them that daddy got hurt and the doctors are fixing him," she said.

The fundraiser is 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Victory Baptist Church, 950 38th Ave. N. in Myrtle Beach. Chicken bog plates will be sold for $10.

Officers responded to the shooting just after 2 a.m. April 28. Police met with an employee in the back parking lot who made the complaint, according to an HCPD incident report. The employee was standing over a black semi-automatic handgun that was used in the incident and was left by one of the suspects who fled the scene.

The Sun News has reached out to Horry County Police Department to get an update on the case and get information about arrests made in connection to the incident.

Hannah Strong: 843-444-1765, @HannahLStrong

This story was originally published June 11, 2018 at 2:49 PM with the headline "He was shot 4 times outside a Myrtle Beach-area bar. Now his bills are nearing $1M."