JASPER, Ala. (WIAT) – A Walker County man is fighting a rare form of abdomen cancer and now a local bookshop is rallying behind him and his family to help raise funds for treatment.

In 2021 Eric Thompson was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of appendiceal cancer called Low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm. It requires a special kind of chemotherapy.
The chemo is a two-part procedure that involves surgically removing the cancer and using heated chemotherapy applied directly to the abdomen.

This is the second time he’s had this procedure done since his diagnosis. On Monday, a second invasive surgery was performed, as well, and will require about three to four months of recovery.

Josh Odom is a family friend and owner of Paper Places Bookshop in Jasper. He started a GoFundMe to help Thompson and his family with medical bills.

Odom said it’s the least he could do for a family that has given so much support to him and area businesses over the years.

“People always want to help somehow, they just don’t know how,” Odom said. “This is the simplest thing we can do and if you get a large amount of people to give a small amount of money each, it turns out to be a lot that we could get to them. So that’s really the focus to do what we can to help them out.”

The goal is to raise $25,000. Odom said anyone who donates $5 or more will also be entered to win a date night courtesy of Paper Places, which includes a dinner for two at Warehouse 319, a $50 gift card to the bookstore and $20 gift card to Blend coffee shop in Jasper.

“Jasper is such a wonderful community, we’re smaller but it’s a community of people that do want to help each other. This is a way to be able to support them financially, which is always extremely helpful,” Odom said.

If you would like to learn more about Thompson and his cancer battle or if you would like to donate, click here.