Bunco Night to Benefit Paul Shoemaker - March 3, 2026

March 3 Bunco to benefit Paul Shoemaker

By Mark Mathews, Editor of the Lake Gaston Gazette-Observer

The proceeds from the Ladies of the Lake Cancer Support Team’s March 3 Bunco Night at Lakeside Lutheran Church will benefit cancer patient Paul Shoemaker. The Lake Gaston resident is battling Acute myelogenous leukemia, a cancer impacting the production of white blood cells and bone marrow. 

Last week, Paul received a bone marrow transplant at Duke Hospital, and the road to recovery is still a long process moving forward. For Paul, the battle with AML first began two years ago. 

“The doctors wanted to put him in hospice and he was on a ventilator for 47 days,” Paul’s wife, Bonnie Shoemaker, said. “By a miracle, he lived. He had to learn to walk, talk, and eat all over again.”  

Paul returned home before the new year. 

“In May, it reared its ugly head again, so here we go down that road once more,” Bonnie said. “This time doctors wanted him to get a bone marrow transplant.”

Paul underwent eight excruciating rounds of chemotherapy, and a 23-year-old donor stepped to the plate and proved to be a match.

“Can you imagine at 23, saying, I’ll put myself on the list and see if I can help somebody out,” Bonnie said. 

The transplant was originally scheduled for Feb. 10. However, the medical professionals at Duke Hospital didn’t believe Paul’s body was ready until a week later.  

The bone marrow transplant is only one step in the long road to recovery. Paul will need to get all the vaccinations he had as a child in the next six months. Still, he’s come a long way. 

“I’ve witnessed two miracles now,” Bonnie said. “He came back to life. I sat there and watched them put that into his body. Now, come the hard part.”

Bonnie is grateful for the support from the LOL Cancer Support Team and her Lake Gaston neighbors. 

“The Ladies of the Lake reached out to us and they are amazing,” Bonnie said. “They have been a Godsend. We have the nicest neighbors here at Lake Gaston. They mowed our lawn all summer and they take care of other things for us. I’m so glad we retired and moved here. I don’t know what we would have done without them.”

Bunco is a fast-moving, easy-to-learn dice game. The LOL Cancer Support Team hosts the event at 7 p.m. at Lakeside Lutheran Church, 2427 Eaton Ferry Road, Littleton, North Carolina. 

LOL Bunco costs $10 to play, and snacks are provided for the players. BUNCO Night is an event of good times, fellowship, door prizes, and a shot to win the 50/50 drawing. More importantly, BUNCO Night proceeds all go toward a worthy cause. The March 3 Bunco proceeds will benefit Paul Shoemaker as he shifts to the recovery phase from AML. 

Go to ladiesofthelake.info for more information about the Ladies of the Lake Cancer Support Team and its mission of helping cancer patients in the five Lake Gaston counties.