Benefit planned for Brown County deputy battling cancer

BROWN COUNTY, Wis. (WBAY) - Friends and family of a Brown County Sheriff’s deputy are hoping the community will step up big to show support and raise money for his family.

The young officer has spent the last year in and out of treatment for bone cancer.

Last summer, at just 28-years old, Deputy Jordan Hooper started noticing pain in his shoulder.

As the months rolled on, it grew worse.

“Deer season of 2019, the pain just got too excruciating to deal with, so that was when they ended up going to OSMS to get an x-ray, and an MRI on November 25th revealed he had a tumor,” says family friend Carrie Hill.

Doctors diagnosed Hooper with Osteosarcoma.

The bone cancer is more common in kids than adults, so his medical team even included pediatricians trying to figure out what to do next.

“The tumor was inside his bone, in his shoulder, so it had eaten away a lot of the bone in there. That’s why they had to come with a cadaver bone and replace what the tumor had eaten away,” describes Hill.

Hooper started chemo last December, underwent major surgery in March, then began another five months of chemo.

Most of that, though, he did alone due to COVID restrictions.

“That was very difficult on the family,” says Hill “And his surgery was alone, too, so lots of alone time during this time, and it was just really heart-breaking to see them go through this.”

But in August came good news.

“He is cancer free at this point,” says Hill.

She and coworker and friend Eric Mueller, a deputy at the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, have spent much of this year planning, rescheduling and planning again a benefit for the Hooper family.

It’s finally a go this Sunday afternoon at Stadium View in Ashwaubenon.

“I worked with Jordan a little over four years now, a good friend of mine,” says Mueller. “I thought the only way I could help him and his family would be to try to set up a benefit.”

They’ve gotten businesses to donate all kinds of raffle and silent auction items.

They are taking precautions to keep people safe, including masks, hand sanitizer and a larger than usual event space for social distancing.

They want to show the Hoopers the community has their back.

“It was devastating knowing that we were going to lose a great deputy from the road for a little while, but we’re all fighting for him. We want him to come back, come back 100 percent, and we really can’t wait for that day,” says Mueller.

For those that want to donate online, friends have created a Go Fund Me page for Hooper.

The benefit runs from 12pm to 4pm Sunday, September 27 at Stadium View on Holmgren Way in Ashwaubenon.

Tickets are available for raffle prizes, silent auction items, and there will be activities for children.

Organizers are asking for a $10 donation at the door.

Several businesses have donated to the benefit including: Nelson Tactical, Green Bay FOP, Bradley Gun Sales, Freedom Industries, the Uniform Shoppe, Assured Recovery, the Brown County Non-Supervisory Labor Association, Brown County SWAT Team, Green Bay Metro Fire, Brett Favre Foundation, Green Bay Packers, Kay Distributing, Procter and Gamble, Turf Pro Lawn Care, Margaritas and Stadium View.

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