“I’m responding to the treatment, but my best outcome is that it kicks the can down the road,” said the Butler Tech director of secondary education. “I’m trying to focus on the time that I have rather than the time I might not have,” he said. “I’ve always been a positive person, and I want to try to make some good out of this.”
Corder, 58, of Madison Twp. had cancerous tumors discovered in his neck and head in July 2024. He was told they appeared to be treatable with surgery and radiation. After his surgery and radiation treatments, which finished in November, he believed it was “a done deal,” that he’d be “all good” when it was time for his PET scan in February.
It was not good.
Credit: pROVIDED
Credit: pROVIDED
“The results were devastating,” said Corder, who’s been in education for more than three decades and with Butler Tech since 2008. “It actually spread. It had spread to my lungs, my liver and my spine. Stage 4. Inoperable. Not curable.”
He had two choices. Do nothing and live maybe a year or go through chemotherapy and live a year or more. The definition of “more” was unknown, but he said that outcome was “as good as it got.”
Chemotherapy started immediately, and he finished his six-round treatment about three weeks ago. He had some positive news: the tumors in his lungs and spine were “resolved,” and the tumor in his liver shrank.
Food has the opportunity to bring people together.
“You hear stories of people saying they were told 15 years ago they had a few months. I’d like to be that story, but I’m a realist and I look at the numbers, I look at the percentages and they’re not good,” said Corder.
He’s not letting circumstances dictate his life. Some friends approached him to create a GoFundMe so they can help do something to help him and his family. Corder didn’t want that, but it inspired the idea to combine his love of culinary arts and technical education.
“People wanted to help, so I gave people an avenue to help,” Corder said. “Now, when people ask me what they can do, I’ll say, ‘Here’s what you can do.’ You can donate to this scholarship.”
Friends and family began to support the Lee Corder Culinary Scholarship through the Hamilton Community Foundation, which will support a graduating senior with dreams of a culinary arts career. This scholarship supports Corder’s lifelong belief that food has the power to connect, heal, and inspire, as food has been a part of his entire life.
Credit: pROVIDED
Credit: pROVIDED
“I loved watching my mom cook, make the Sunday dinners, and how food was used to entertain people when I was growing up,” he said. “It brought people together, it brought cultures together, it brought friends and family together, and I’ve always been attracted to that. That’s the way I’ve always liked to entertain.”
The favorite dish his mom, Mary, made was fried chicken, homemade rolls, and creamed potatoes, though he admitted “everything she did was good.” Though he’s known for his barbecue, his favorite dishes to make are gumbo, jambalaya and soups.
Hamilton Community Foundation Director of Donor Services called Corder’s story “truly inspiring.”
“We’re proud to help people like Lee create charitable legacies,” he said. “It’s an honor for our team at the Community Foundation to help him build a legacy that reflects his passion.”
The next fundraiser for the Lee Corder Culinary Scholarship is from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday at Municipal Brew Works, 20 High St. Though he won’t be cooking, there will be food trucks to support the cause.
Stone-Welch said this weekend’s fundraiser will help lay the foundation “to support a scholarship that will inspire culinary students for years to come.
“Food has the opportunity to bring people together, and one of the things that I’ve learned through this is that there still are a lot of kind and giving people out there who want to help,” Corder said. “It costs nothing to be kind to others.”
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