Gainesville —
A Cooke County resident is helping host a backyard barbecue cook-off for what may be one of her final acts of kindness for her ailing father.
Longtime Gainesville resident Robert LaSalle has been battling stage 4 cancer of the gastrointestinal tract and liver since Dec. 15, 2009.
Melissa LaSalle said her father is still being treated for cancer but requires full-time care and cannot be without someone to look after him.
She admits his prognosis is grim.
At the time of his diagnosis, Robert LaSalle was the president of the Cooke County Soccer Association and helped mentor and teach soccer skills to hundreds of kids over the years, his daughter Melissa LaSalle said.
Since his devastating diagnosis, LaSalle has been one of her father’s most dedicated advocates helping plan fundraisers to help with Robert’s medical expenses.
Melissa LaSalle and Mary Jeffries of the cancer survivor support group Still Blessed With One Less are hoping their latest endeavor — Cooke County Cancer Coalition’s Back Yard BBQ Cook-Off — will help Robert LaSalle and his family with their continuing medical expenses.
The cook-off portion of the event is set to begin at 8:30 a.m., Saturday June 16 at The Texas Bull, at 3415 U.S. Highway 82 East in Gainesville. Lunch will be served at 12:30 and both live and silent auctions will be held throughout the day.
Jeffries said the family-friendly fundraiser will also include a 90-mile motorcycle ride beginning around 10:30 a.m. at the Texas Bull.
There’s a $10 entry fee for riders. Additional riders may join the bike run for $5. Bike run participants will return for lunch after they’ve completed the run.
“Fees paid will go towards the benefit,” Jeffries noted.
Cooks may enter the barbecue contests in two classes — pull behind (trailer-style cookers) and free standing cookers.
Trophies will be awarded for the best chicken and the best ribs in each class.
The entry fee for the cook-off is $25. Interested cooks should call Jeffries at (940) 736-4120 by the end of the week to enter.
Singers will have their chance to show off their vocal skills during “Singing for Superman” — a karaoke contest scheduled during the event.
“The entry fee is $10,” Jeffries said. “ Half goes towards the benefit and the other half goes in the pot for winners. They can just show up and register that day.”
Lunch will be served from noon to 3 p.m. for $7.50.
Monetary donations can be made to the Robert E LaSalle benefit account at First State Bank.
Organizers are also still accepting auction items.
LaSalle said since finding out about her father’s illness, she and other family members and friends have pulled out all the stops to help him.
“As hard as we are fighting for him, he’s fighting harder,” she said. “He values life and he’s doing everything he can to be with us as long as he can.”
Her devotion comes from a lifetime of respect for the man who raised her and her siblings.
“He’s a great man,” LaSalle said. “He’s the epitome of a good father. He is a good husband. He took such good care of me as a child. How could I not take care of him now? I grew up thinking all dads did what my daddy did...he worked so hard to take care of us and make sure we had a nice home and clothes and everything we needed.”
LaSalle also helped support Cooke County youth sports.
“He coached soccer for a long time,” LaSalle said. “He started when my brother, Bobby, was six. He also coached my sister Emily who’s 18 now. And he coached my daughter for her first year of soccer.”
For information on the fundraiser call Melissa LaSalle at (940) 736-9758.
Benefit organizer Mary Jeffries may be reached at (940) 736-4120
You may also visit her organization’s website at www.stillblessedwithoneless.com.
Still Blessed with One Less is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping Cooke County families affected by breast cancer.
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Woman holds barbecue to help ailing father
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