MIDDLETON, Idaho — "I didn't know how much we were loved until it hits the fan," said Middleton assistant football coach Jay Buck.
Buck, a father of seven, is currently recovering from emergency surgery after complications with Type 2 diabetes.
"You realize who's on your team and who's on your side," he said.
In early February, Buck had to have his left foot amputated due to complications from his diabetes.
"Been good with it on and off, and about eight months ago, I got a little swelling in my left foot," Coach Buck recalled.
Two weeks after surgery, Idaho News 6 reporter Leslie Solis visited Buck at the Idaho Elks Rehabilitation Center. He said his family has been overwhelmed by the support from the community, including aGoFundMe campaign that has raised $27,410.
"And I got a big family, and I just see it growing more and more with everyone reaching out. It's been absolutely amazing," Buck said.
Buck's wife, Kali, who grew up in Middleton, said she’s not surprised to see the community rally around their family.
"Jay just has this gift where he makes everybody feel special, and so I am not surprised they want to give back in return because of how much he has done for our community and how much he still does and how he makes everybody feel," Kali Buck said.
Now, Coach Buck is on a mission to raise awareness about diabetes and its impact on the people it affects. He said some of his family members, who also live with diabetes, are already making lifestyle changes in an effort to join him on his journey to recovery.
"He is an advocate for so many youth and they look up to him. I've never seen so much of an influence from an adult, especially a coach, because they can feel that he genuinely cares about them," Kali Buck said.
"I have so much to live for. This is really not a problem. It's just a small bump in the road we’re going to get over, and we’re going to win," Jay Buck said.
