Jeremiah Ford of Danville receives his food order from Bud ' s BBQ that was set up in Big Lots ' parking lot along Gilbert Street .
becue at the 2021 Balloons Over Vermilion festival , Gouard suddenly found himself fighting for his life after an ear ache was diagnosed as Stage 4 throat cancer .
“ July 8 , 2021 changed our life ,” Gouard ’ s wife , Tywon , said . “ It was a hard , rough journey , and we couldn ’ t have made it without our faith , family and friends .”
Bud recalled how the persistent ear ache finally led him to the doctor ’ s office just days before the balloon festival .
“ I kept having an ear ache , but I didn ’ t have time to have it checked out because I had to do Balloon Classic ,” he said , referring to the festival by its former name as some longtime Danville residents still do .
The ear ache was unrelenting , so Gouard thought he would go to the doctor for a prescription to clear it up .
What he received was news he wasn ’ t prepared to hear . A mass was found and he needed to be taken into surgery immediately .
“ I had a ( tracheotomy ) in my neck , a feeding tube and surgery all in two days ,” Gouard said .
“ If I hadn ’ t gone to the doctor , the mass would have cut off my windpipe and I wouldn ’ t be able to breathe ,” he explained . “ I ’ m blessed to be here .”
Gouard endured nine surgeries , a neck dissection , radiation treatments every day
8 ILLIANA MAGAZINE | SPRING 2023