On May 6, the Gamecock nation got hit with one of the saddest pieces of news they could possibly hear. Word is, former University of South Carolina Gamecocks QB Stephen Garcia, the “maverick” quarterback who famously took down #1 Alabama, is now in the fight of his life at just 38 years old.

This all started when he went to the emergency room thinking something was just “off,” only to be hit with a Stage 4 colorectal cancer diagnosis after a couple of MRIs and CT scans. Stage 4 is the most advanced level. It means the cancer has moved from the colon to other parts of the body. In his case, the doctors are specifically looking at his liver as well, apparently.

To fight back, his medical team has put him on a “kitchen sink” chemotherapy protocol called FOLFIRINOX.

It’s a powerhouse combination of three different chemo drugs (Fluorouracil, Irinotecan, and Oxaliplatin) plus a rescue drug. However, it is notoriously tough on the body. At times, it causes nausea and fatigue. However, it’s doctors’ top choice when it comes to shrinking aggressive tumors.

The goal here is “downstaging.” The doctors want to attack the cancer enough so that it shrinks away from vital structures, hopefully making him a candidate for complex surgeries on his colon and liver down the road. He’s already finished his first round. Now, he’s bracing for a long journey ahead.

His big takeaways from this is, Garcia wants people to get from his story is that you can’t ignore the “small” signs. Colorectal cancer is also called a “silent killer” because it can hide without causing major pain until it has already reached an advanced stage, or too late, apparently.

Stephen admitted he waited until it was an emergency to get checked, but he doesn’t want that for his fans or anyone else in particular: “We have a great team of doctors and staff that’s confident we can beat this! It’s the only option.”

The South Carolina and the football world didn’t fail to show their support

The support coming out of Columbia and the rest of the SEC has been nothing but a miracle, to say the least.

His wife, Maria, launched a GoFundMe to help cover the astronomical costs of Stage 4 care, which includes specialists, travel, this chemo, and all other things that come with it.

The Gamecock Nation has already raised $84,005 so far, which is about around 71% of the $120k target. Mind you, he ranks third all-time in passing yards (7,597) for South Carolina, and the fans adored him when he was playing for them.

During his three-year tenure between 2007 and 2011, he led the Gamecocks to their first and only SEC Championship Game appearance and an iconic victory over peak Nick Saban’s No. 1 Alabama in 2010.

Looking ahead, the journey will not be easy. But Garcia is staying very positive. He has a great medical team around him and has said many times that “losing is not an option.” After he finishes this first strong round of chemotherapy, he will go back for more scans to see if the FOLFIRINOX treatment worked. If the tumors have shrunk enough, he will move to the surgery stage, where doctors can begin the major reconstruction work.

Right now, he is in the toughest fight of his life. But with his family, doctors, and so many fans behind him, he’s hoping to make an incredible comeback.