VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Tucker Davis and his dad are getting ready to head out for a day of fishing on the Chesapeake Bay.
“It's a welcome distraction from everything we’ve been going through,” said Adam Davis, Tucker's dad.
“In 2019 Tucker was diagnosed with a brain tumor. [He] had a pretty aggressive treatment over nine or 10 months that included surgery radiation and chemo,” said Davis.
Toward the end of treatment, they were connected with a charity called Hooked on Hope. They take families of pediatric cancer patients out for a day of fishing.
“This has been a great way for him to get into something new and meet a great community of people,” said Davis.
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That community of Hooked on Hope volunteers includes the Crocker family: Mom Michelle, dad Brian, and their sons Brendan and Jake.
For the past two years, they’ve spent many of their weekends taking families like Tucker’s out for a little fun on the water.
And for that, we met them down at the Long Bay Pointe marina in Virginia Beach to surprise them with our Everyday Hero award. Our partners at Southern Bank also recognized the Crocker's work by gifting them a $300 Visa gift card.
“There’s not much of a better way to give back to the community than trying to help a family go through something unimaginable,” said Brian Crocker.
“It's just really awesome to see them have fun fishing,” said Jake Crocker.
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When News 3 asked them what got them involved in Hooked on Hope, Michelle Crocker answered, "I think just my husband’s love of fishing and teaching that to our two boys and being able to give back."
Brendan Crocker added, “It's really awesome to be able to give back to the community and help the families."
Boat Captain Eric Meyers III is also a big part of the Hooked on Hope crew.
“It's good to see the amount of stress relief it gives to the families that you take. It's awesome,” said Meyers.
That stress relief is something Tucker and his family have experienced. They've been out fishing with Hooked on Hope volunteers a few times now.
Turns out, Tucker IS quite the fisherman. At the end of one day out fishing, Tucker and his dad pulled in a huge red drum.
If you'd like to get involved with Hooked on Hope, click here.
