NEDERLAND, Texas — Many Southeast Texans have been affected by cancer, whether it be a personal diagnosis, a loved one or a friend battling the disease.
There's a group of volunteers in Southeast Texas who are standing up against cancer and doing their best to help.
Oscar "Manny" Vara is a devoted family man, a 20-year veteran of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and an Iraq war veteran.
Now the veteran has been thrust into a battle against a rare form of brain cancer.
"Walking and talking, it's like I'm drunk," Vara says.
Emmett Hollier is the president and founder of Circle of Hope, a volunteer organization established in 2010. The group's mission is to provide support to people just like Vara all over Southeast Texas who refuse to give up.
"Manny is a great guy. Manny, today, he's one of them that comes by every benefit," Hollier says.
Circle of Hope has helped about 169 families in the past 13 years and raised and given those families about $2.1 million dollars according to Hollier.
Everyone in the organization is a volunteer he says.
"People need help. You can't go through that alone," Hollier says. "Emotionally, you need people around you."
While there is still no cure for cancer, Vara and Holier continue to prove that love and support from a strong, united community can be some of the most important tools in the continuing fight against cancer.
"With the right team and the right help, you can beat it," Vara says. "Pray and never quit."
To find out more on how to donate or volunteer visit SoutheastTexasCircleOfHope.com.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.