Officer Robert Wright is battling stage 3 cancer, while still serving and protecting the City of Greenville. Now, members of that community are trying to help him get through that battle.
Officer Wright was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma in July of 2012; his cancer battle start when he noticed a small mark on his foot. "Then in November of 2013, after a year and a half absence, I started to feel lumps again in my upper left leg," Ofc. Wright said.
The cancer had not just returned -- it spread. The father and grandfather has had four surgeries on his left leg ever since. Officer Wright has even taken part in a clinical trial with an experimental cancer drug. The cancer, however, returned each time.
During this battle with cancer, Ofc. Wright continued working with Greenville Police, recently being put on the Motorcycle Unit. When he's not working for GPD, Ofc. Wright participates in the community. This January, Ofc. Wright took part in the Polar Plunge, raising money for charity. "Whenever anyone had a tragedy or an issue, he was always the first guy to step up and donate," said longtime friend, Glenn Webb.
Now, the police officer and family man is getting help from the community. Several fundraisers have been set up to help Ofc. Wright and his family pay for cancer treatments. All of the outpouring of support from the community is something Ofc. Wright was not prepared for.
"I'm very humbled because I had no idea that in the 20 years that I had been doing law enforcement here in Pitt County, that I have touched as many lives as I have," Ofc. Wright said.
To find out more about Ofc. Wright's cancer battle, and how you can help, click here. There will also be a spaghetti dinner to help raise money on Friday, August 15th, at Reimage Church on Victory Lane, off of Firetower Road, in Winterville.