{"id":778691,"date":"2026-05-07T03:08:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T03:08:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/778691\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T03:08:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T03:08:16","slug":"ex-south-carolina-qb-stephen-garcia-diagnosed-with-stage-4-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/778691\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-South Carolina QB Stephen Garcia diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"

A former college football star is now fighting cancer at 38 years old.<\/p>\n

Stephen Garcia, a quarterback for four years at South Carolina, revealed on social media Wednesday that he was diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer.<\/p>\n

A GoFundMe page, organized by his wife Maria<\/a> that has already garnered nearly $100K in donations, said that after a trip to the emergency room and multiple imaging tests, Garcia was diagnosed with cancer and was set to begin chemotherapy. He is now on an \u201caggressive\u201d track, and \u201che will be meeting with specialized liver and colon surgeons to determine the next steps in his treatment plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garcia took to Facebook to share the GoFundMe link and said he is confident he will be able to overcome the diagnosis.<\/p>\n

\u201cWasn\u2019t overly excited to share this news but it is what it is. We have a great team of doctors and staff that\u2019s confident we can beat this! It\u2019s the only option,\u201d he wrote. \u201cIf there\u2019s one lesson to be learned, get checked and don\u2019t be afraid to visit the doctors office when you don\u2019t feel 100%.\u201d<\/p>\n

He later thanked everyone for their support on his Instagram story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"StephenStephen Garcia of the South Carolina Gamecocks looks to pass against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on September 10, 2011 in Athens, Georgia. Getty Images<\/p>\n

Garcia had a prolific career with the Gamecocks, throwing for 7,597 yards and 49 touchdowns. In 2009, as a sophomore, he led the SEC with 239 completions before throwing a career-high 3,059 yards with 20 touchdowns during the next campaign, as South Carolina finished at No. 22 in the final poll of the season.<\/p>\n

His 20 wins rank tied for third-most in program history. Garcia later spent time in the CFL, AFL and AAF after his college football days.<\/p>\n

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer said he is \u201cpraying\u201d for the former QB.<\/p>\n

\"StephenStephen Garcia of the South Carolina Gamecocks answers questions after winning a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 13, 2010 Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cI talked to Stephen about an hour ago, actually, and he was in great spirits,\u201d Beamer said Wednesday in Columbia, according to The State<\/a>. \u201cThen texting back and forth since we talked on the phone about an hour ago and told him to attack this thing with the same mindset that he\u2019s attacked everything going back to when he was a player here and still is now as a human being. <\/p>\n

\u201cTold him I got his back, and we all have his back. Just praying hard for him right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

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