Woods of Terror is best known for terrifying thousands of guests every Halloween season, but did you know it also founded a nonprofit dedicated to helping members of the haunt industry battling cancer?
Owners Eddie and Peggy McLaurin launched Let’s Scare Cancer in 2023 after one of their longtime employees, Erika Jones, was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer at just 30 years old.
Although Erika’s prognosis was positive, she faced a life-changing surgery, a pneumonectomy, the complete removal of one lung, to eliminate the cancer. Along with the emotional and physical challenges came overwhelming medical bills. Eddie and Peggy knew they had to do something to help.
After hosting just two fundraising events, they were able to raise enough money to ease some of the financial burden and allow Erika to focus on what mattered most: healing.
But the mission didn’t end there.
Once Erika was cancer-free, Let’s Scare Cancer expanded its mission to help others within the haunt community.
The next recipient was fellow haunter Pandora Rose, who was courageously battling Stage 4 colon cancer. Tragically, Pandora passed away just days before the fundraising event at Transworld. Even in the midst of that heartbreaking loss, Eddie, Peggy, and Erika continued the fundraiser, raising a substantial amount of money to support Pandora’s husband during an incredibly difficult time.
The next person Let’s Scare Cancer supported was Mike Heffner, one of the original founders of Reaper’s Revenge Haunted Attraction. Mike had been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor, and the haunt industry quickly rallied around him. Through fundraising efforts at Transworld, Let’s Scare Cancer was able to provide financial assistance during his battle. Mike sadly passed away late last year, but we are honored to have been able to support him and his family when they needed it most.
Most recently, Let’s Scare Cancer has been supporting Mayson Gibson, who was diagnosed with a rare form of thyroid cancer at just 19 years old. Thanks to the generosity of the haunt community, we were able to raise funds to help Mayson during her treatment. She continues to fight with incredible strength, and we’re grateful to say she’s still with us today.
Whether the people we’ve helped are still fighting, celebrating remission, or have sadly passed on, we are honored to have played even a small part in their journey.
Cancer changes lives in an instant. It affects families emotionally, physically, and financially. While we can’t take away the diagnosis, we hope we can ease some of the burden. Whether someone needs help paying rent, buying groceries, covering travel expenses for treatment, or simply catching up on everyday bills, every dollar raised through Let’s Scare Cancer goes toward helping members of the haunt community focus on what matters most, their health and their families.
The haunt industry is built on passion, creativity, and community. When one of our own is hurting, we believe it’s our responsibility to stand beside them.
If you’d like to support the mission of Let’s Scare Cancer, you can purchase exclusive merchandise at Woods of Terror throughout the season. One hundred percent of the profits go directly back into Let’s Scare Cancer, helping us continue supporting haunters facing one of the toughest battles of their lives.
Together, we can make a difference.
Learn more or donate at:
www.letsscarecancer.com
