“Cody’s Crusaders Benefit” Supports Man With Rare Form of Cancer

Cody Cox was recently diagnosed with epithelioid sarcoma

MOORHEAD, Minn. — People in the community came together to support one man was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

“I’ve had a lump on the my arm for the past five years. Started growing within the past couple of months. My wife told me to go get it checked out. Rochester [Hospital] diagnosed it as epithelioid sarcoma which is a rare type of soft tissue cancer. It’s stage one right now, ” Cody Cox said.

“Cody likes to joke about stuff sometimes. so when he told me I was about to laugh. Then he told me, and I just broke down crying. It was definitely a shock,” Samantha Cox, Cody’s wife, said.

“Just seeing everyone come out [for the benefit], we have people from the army, we have people from local law enforcement, friends, family, people I haven’t seen in five years. It’s just good to reconnect with them. Hopefully they have fun and buy a few things,” Cody said.

“His brothers— he’s the youngest of four brothers.  They’re all a  little more conscious of skin-related cancers and anything else that may come up. They’re getting check-ups on time and doing what’s important  now that they realize their younger brother got hit with such a rare abnormality that they don’t want to be in the same boat,” Auddie Lee Cox, Cody’s father, said.

“We’ll find out if it spread August 1 and 2. I have a couple more CT exams. Surgery to get it removed is August 9. They don’t know if they’re going to have to remove my whole bone or if they’re going to be able to just scrape it,” Cody said. “There’s always hope you can’t let it beat you. You can’t just go around thinking this is it. ‘I can’t live anymore’— anything like that. I just keep on going.”

The family plans to hold more events helping the community in the future.