Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Bill Beals, office deputy at the Eddy County Sheriff's Office, is once again undergoing aggressive medical treatment.
It was one year ago that Beals was last featured in the Transcript, when he made front page news for completing lung cancer treatment at the JRMC Cancer Center in Jamestown. He rang the ceremonial bell on April 20, 2020, marking the official end of an 18-month cancer journey. Now, his cancer is back, and he is again fighting for his life.
Beals recently spent more than three weeks in a Fargo hospital. He learned that his cancer had not only returned, but it was also blocking access to an abscess that had formed in his lung. We spoke to his family last Friday, and they said doctors planned to move him to The Meadows on University, a skilled nursing facility in Fargo. While there, he will simultaneously receive both intravenous antibiotics to treat the infection that caused the abscess, and radiation treatments to fight the cancer. He is expected to stay at the Meadows for three to four weeks, after which doctors will evaluate both the cancer and the abscess to determine next steps.
"He refuses to give up," his ex-wife Leann Doll said. "He is very adamant that he is going to continue to fight. He just wants to get back home."Beals has worked at the Eddy County Sheriff's Office since January 2014, and Doll said he longs to go back to the office.
A benefit for Beals was planned for the evening of Saturday, May 22 at the Eagles Club. All the proceeds from the broasted chicken meal and silent auction will help cover his medical expenses. A benefit account has also been set up at Bank Forward. Donations can be made out to William Beals Benefit Account.
