Texas dealer who beat cancer gives $25M to help others do same

When Texas dealer Steve Fox was diagnosed with Stage 4 tongue and neck cancer, he had to travel back and forth to the other side of the state repeatedly to get the treatment he needed.

Fox is now helping his hometown of El Paso get its own comprehensive cancer center with a $25 million gift to Texas Tech University. The Steve and Nancy Fox Cancer Center will be built with that donation and a $65 million appropriation approved this year by the Texas legislature.

"Three of the scariest words you'll ever hear are, 'You have cancer.' It was a difficult journey in the beginning," the CEO of Fox Auto Team said in a statement last week. "Even if you have the ability to travel for treatment, it's still very hard. It became obvious to me there was a big disparity in cancer care here in El Paso."

Texas Tech said cancer is among the leading causes of death for Hispanics, who make up 83 percent of El Paso's population. Having a cancer center near the Texas-Mexico border will increase treatment options for people who don't have the means to travel for treatment and increase participation in clinical trials that can help fight rising diagnoses among Hispanics.

"It's one of the reasons that motivated us to help bring a cancer center here," said Fox, who was diagnosed 22 years ago and is now cancer-free. "When you're fighting cancer, it's emotional because there's no place like home. With all the other stress you have going on, if you can be with your family and be in your own bed, that's such a blessing."