CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Trey McBride walked into the Charlotte Beer Garden Sunday afternoon for the second surprise in three days.
"When they rang the bell when radiation was over Friday morning, she had about 20 friends there to surprise me when I walked out," McBride said of his wife's planning. "This was supposed to be for a little kid and I guess I'm a little kid."
McBride, who had been undergoing radiation treatment for throat cancer for the last two months, said he thought of late Panthers player, Sam Mills, as inspiration.
The father from Seneca, South Carolina said, "The Panthers mantra, 'Keep pounding, as Sam Wells said when he was going through cancer. He said, 'You know, I'm a fighter.' So I will keep pounding, so we all did that."
He said being part of the Elite Super Fans for the Carolina Panthers has given him great friends and a second family.
Organizer, Dee Jay, has a custom logo business, Fan Cave Customs. He said patches will be sold that say "#PapaTreyStrong" for $10 to help raise money for McBride's medical bills.
"This is our group. This is our town. This is our team," Dee Jay said. "It definitely means the world to me knowing that all these people have come together for a great cause."