Stephen Garcia, the former South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback and Tampa native, is fighting stage four colon cancer and preparing for surgery in September to remove tumors from his liver and colon. The 38-year-old, who starred at Tampa's Jefferson High School before his college career, has spent the months since his diagnosis undergoing six rounds of chemotherapy and radiation while building a nonprofit aimed at getting other people screened before their cancer reaches his stage.
Garcia was diagnosed with colon cancer at age 38, according to Tampa Bay 28, after he experienced sporadic abdominal pain and a change in bowel habits. He has said he had none of the more alarming warning signs people associate with serious illness — no blood, no yellowing of the skin or eyes, no back pain — which made the eventual diagnosis harder to see coming. It was Garcia's wife who insisted he get tested, and a colonoscopy found a tumor in his colon; further testing found two lesions on his liver. Separately, FOX 13 Tampa Bay has reported that Garcia experienced abdominal pain and abnormal stools for roughly seven months before his wife scheduled the tests that revealed a 13-centimeter tumor doctors estimated had been developing for three to seven years.
Aggressive Chemotherapy Ahead of Surgery
Garcia is being treated at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa with FOLFIRINOX, an aggressive combination chemotherapy regimen that pairs fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan and oxaliplatin — a protocol typically reserved for younger patients or those being readied for surgical tumor removal, according to Moffitt Cancer Center. He is expected to undergo surgery to remove the tumors in his liver and colon in September, per Tampa Bay 28's reporting. Speaking at SEC Media Days in Tampa last month, Garcia said his treatment was progressing better than expected and that his surgeon had shared encouraging news ahead of the planned resection, as reported by WIS TV.
Throughout treatment, Garcia has said he is prioritizing a positive attitude, telling Tampa Bay 28 that he wants to live a long time for his wife and three children. He has also urged others to pay attention to their own health rather than dismiss warning signs, a message that sits at the center of the foundation he has since built.
A Foundation Born From Diagnosis
Garcia created the Quarterback Your Health Foundation to bring awareness to colon cancer and expand access to preventive screenings, with a particular focus on people who are uninsured, per Tampa Bay 28. The organization launched its public portal, quarterbackyourhealth.org, last month to connect patients with screening resources and expand financial support for uninsured individuals, according to BeeYoungComms. The foundation was established shortly after Garcia's diagnosis this spring.
Before football gave way to medicine, Garcia was a star quarterback at Jefferson High School in Tampa and went on to play for the South Carolina Gamecocks from 2008 to 2011, throwing for 7,597 yards and 47 touchdowns, according to OncoDaily. He led South Carolina to a 20-14 record as a starter under coach Steve Spurrier. That connection is set to come full circle on Friday, when the foundation holds its inaugural fundraising gala.
Gala Set for Friday in Lutz
The Quarterback Your Health Foundation's inaugural gala is scheduled for Friday, August 21, at the Hilton Garden Inn Tampa Suncoast Parkway, located at 2155 Northpointe Parkway in Lutz. Doors open at 5 p.m., with the program running from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., per Tampa Bay 28. The event will include a silent auction to raise money for the foundation, along with remarks from surgeons, doctors, and Garcia's former teammates and coaches.
Guest appearances will include Spurrier, who coached Garcia at South Carolina from 2008 to 2011, along with former NFL coaches Jon Gruden and Mike Alstott and former kicker Martin Gramatica, according to The Post and Courier.
Part of a Troubling National Trend
Garcia's case fits into a broader and increasingly urgent pattern. Colorectal cancer has become the leading cause of cancer-related death among U.S. adults under 50, with mortality in that age group rising 1.1% annually since 2005, according to a January study from the American Cancer Society. That trend stands out starkly because overall cancer deaths among adults under 50 dropped 44% over the past three decades, making colorectal cancer a distinct exception to an otherwise encouraging picture.
Incidence among adults under 50 has climbed 3% annually since 2013, and roughly 75% of young adult cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage, per the American Cancer Society's 2026 report — a statistic that mirrors Garcia's own stage four diagnosis. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force lowered its recommended starting age for average-risk colorectal cancer screening from 50 to 45 back in 2021, though medical guidelines still stress that any adult with symptoms should be evaluated immediately regardless of age. Garcia was diagnosed at 38, seven years below even that lowered threshold.
A national study published in JAMA Network Open found that facility-based screening volume among adults aged 45 to 49 increased nearly tenfold following the 2021 guideline change, though significant socioeconomic and geographic disparities in access still persist, according to The American Journal of Managed Care. Underserved and uninsured populations often lag behind in early screening adoption, which is precisely the gap Garcia's foundation says it wants to close.
