It’s only been a few weeks since Cullman County Sheriff’s deputy Timmy Puckett learned that the leukemia he defeated two years ago had returned. But the throngs of people who turned out Friday to help his employer raise money for an upcoming bone marrow transplant showed just how fast word can travel.

The sheriff’s office held a hot dog cookout fundraiser for Puckett during the lunch hour, cramming its training facility off Beech Avenue to near-standing room capacity.

It’s part of an ongoing effort to help Puckett, 47, prepare for the coming fight as he undergoes chemotherapy to beat back the leukemia cells in his body while doctors prepare to find a donor.

“They‘ve got to find me a match, and in the meantime, I’ve got to get down to where I have zero infection or anything at all in my system, before they can do the actual transplant,” said Puckett. “Once I go to Vanderbilt for the actual transplant, I will have to be there for 100 days.”

Puckett, who was at the cookout with his wife, Kim, and 16 year-old daughter Kinlee (the Pucketts’ other daughter, 11 year-old Kyla, stayed at school) is a familiar face for people who frequent the Cullman County Courthouse. As one of the deputies who greets entrants at the door, he’s made a lot of firends and acquaintances.

“Timmy’s just a hardworking, good man,” said sheriff Matt Gentry Friday. He’s a good deputy, he loves his community, and he loves providing a service to his community. And he’s a fighter: this is the second round of cancer for him, and he’s meeting it as a fighter.”

Gentry said crowds were consistent for more than an hour beyond the cookout’s scheduled 1 p.m. end time.

“Oh, we had a huge, strong turnout, all the way through 2:30 today,” he said. “It was a successful day for him and his family, and I really just want to tell everybody how much I appreciate them always turning out to support the sheriff’s office and they way this community comes together.”

To learn how you can contribute to help Deputy Timmy Puckett with his ongoing treatment for leukemia, contact Rebekah Cash at the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office at 256-734-0342.