‘Something cancer cannot win against’: Horry volunteers surprise 4-year-old fighter
Around noon, Baxley Hoover, 4, returned home in a limo unaware of the surprise waiting for him in the backyard.
Baxley rested in his dad’s, Kevin, arms as his mother Suzanne walked beside them. A hat covered Baxley’s eyes and a few cousins used their hands to cover theirs. When they made to the backyard, applause erupted from local volunteers who spent three and a half hours Friday morning building him a new playset.
The volunteers — from the Roc Solid Foundation, Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group and the Horry County Sheriff’s Office — clapped as the ever-so-shy Baxley buried his head in Kevin’s arm. The other kids were more than anxious to try out the new slide and swings.
Kevin wiped tears from his eyes as he addressed the volunteers. He said his family was going to beat cancer and then pay the support forward.
“This is going to help him like you wouldn’t believe,” Kevin Hoover said.
Chief Play Officer for Roc Solid Foundation Eric Newman, a childhood cancer survivor himself, said all the volunteers signed the swing set. That way, when the family is dealing with tough times, they can see the support.
“This is something cancer cannot win against, which is play and the power of the community,” Newman said.
The Roc Solid Foundation builds playsets and provides other support to families with children fighting cancer. The non-profit is based out of Chesapeake, Virginia.
This story was originally published September 27, 2019 at 3:38 PM.
