Grand Strand man raising funds to help high school sweetheart battling rare cancer

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) – A Grand Strand man is on a mission to help his high school sweetheart who is battling a rare cancer for the second time.

Mateo Montalvo met Haley Smith when they were in high school and they fell in love.

The couple says they’ve been through the best of times, but right now, things are a little tough.

Smith is once again battling a rare Stage Four cervical cancer. She first beat the same type of cancer when she was just 17 years old.

Smith made a very difficult decision this week to shave her head because the chemo treatment this time around has been more aggressive.

As a gesture of support, Smith’s father had her shave his head first. The family says her cancer battle is their battle too and they’ll do all they can to support her beating it again.

The family said the process of fighting the disease the second time around is proving to be a bit more challenging and costly. They started a GoFundMe page hoping to raise money for medical needs but it wasn’t enough.

Montalvo immediately came up with an idea to help them. He’s been doing car detailing for a few months, and now he is donating all the money he makes to Smith and her family to help with her medical needs.

“It shows me every day that I am loved and I am supported and every day it’s something that keeps me going,” Smith said.

“I don’t regret anything. I’m very happy I’m doing this for them,” Montalvo said.

Each dollar will go towards Smith’s medical and travel needs in her battle against cancer.

“Sometimes my insurance just doesn’t cover every expense,” Smith said. “This is just one less thing we have to worry about is all these expenses.”

“You can get your car detailed anywhere. Maybe that place does a better job than I do. But it doesn’t have the same cause. It doesn’t have the same heart,” Montalvo added.

CLICK HERE if you’re interested in using Montalvo’s car detailing services.

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