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Air Force veteran facing cancer honored by former General's daughter at Moffitt

Floyd Cook was the guest of honor at a Veterans Day event at Moffitt Cancer Center.
Floyd Cook was honored by Jessica Schwarzkopf, daughter of famed General Norman Schwarzkopf, at a Veterans Day event at Moffitt Cancer Center.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Floyd Cook knows pretty much every inch of Moffitt Cancer Center. He once spent 18 straight days there under doctor care.

Friday’s visit was much more peaceful.

“Yeah, this is a joyful trip!” Cook said. “This is wonderful.”

There were no treatment or surgery appointments for Cook. He was the guest of honor at a Veteran’s Day event in front of the hospital.

Moffitt honored the cancer survivor and 20-year Air Force veteran for his courage in the fight against cancer and his determination during two decades of military service.

“I’m just happy on the inside,” he said. “It’s a true blessing to be honored.”

Previous: U.S. Air Force veteran to be honored as part of Veterans Day at Moffitt Cancer Center

Jessica Schwarzkopf, the daughter of decorated U.S. Army General Norman Schwarzkopf, handed Floyd a plaque commemorating his service. It was an honor for her as a child of a veteran and cancer survivor herself.

“I was diagnosed with breast cancer in my mid-30s and it was a bit shocking,” she said. “Now, I’ve been cancer-free for a while. It’s great to be able to know there is hope.”

Floyd Cook was honored by Jessica Schwarzkopf, daughter of famed General Norman Schwarzkopf, at a Veterans Day event at Moffitt Cancer Center.

His family sat quietly behind Floyd wearing non-Hodgkin Lymphoma awareness t-shirts. They clapped for joy as he was called up to receive his award.

“He believes in God. Nothing is going to hold him down,” His niece, Florence Jordan, said. “He knows the man above has him all the way.”

Cook spent two decades traveling the world working reconnaissance missions in the United States Air Force. Five years ago, Cook started feeling extremely exhausted. When the fatigue forced him to stop playing basketball, he went to the doctor and was eventually diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

He spent years undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments, but it was CAR T therapy, or chimeric antigen receptor therapy, that sent him into remission in the summer of 2018. Yet, something still didn’t feel quite right and shortly thereafter, doctors diagnosed him with lung cancer.

He had surgery to remove part of his lung in September 2018.

A few hundred people gathered to honor him Friday morning.

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