Police Officer Battling Cancer in Brookhaven Presented With $23K

BROOKHAVEN, GA -- Officers in Brookhaven recently presented one of their own with a $23,000 check to help with medical costs related to his fight against stomach cancer.

Police Officer Joel Coward is undergoing chemotherapy treatments and will soon have surgery. During his recovery, he will be unable to work and his income will be drastically affected.

Officers with the Brookhaven Police Foundation presented Coward with the check just before the Christmas holiday.

"I thank God that I've been blessed to be a part of the city," Coward said at the event. "I think everything happens for a reason. I'm a living testimony of what God has planned for me. ... I never thought that I'd get the support that I'm getting right now. And I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart," he said, fighting back tears.

Read more: Brookhaven cops rally around officer fighting cancer

A GoFundMe account was set up more than a week ago to raise $25,000 for Coward, as Patch previously reported.

"In September of 2016 Joel noticed that he was unexpectedly losing weight at a rapid pace, as well as losing his appetite," the account says. "Upon consulting with a doctor, Joel received devastating news. His diagnosis was stage 3 stomach cancer. Doctors noticed a tumor the size of a grapefruit growing."

Coward is a Navy veteran who became a police officer in 2008 when he joined the Gwinnett County Police Department. He was hired by Brookhaven in 2015.

"As a police officer, Joel has dedicated his career to protecting the communities he has served as well as being there for his fellow brothers and sisters in blue," his GoFundMe says.

The Brookhaven Police Foundation said that more money is on the way, including funds from Florida officers who heard about Coward's plight.