South Carolina boy CD Bishop fulfills his hunting and fishing dreams thanks to the uplifting support of local outdoor organizations.

From tagging black bears to bagging wild boars, a Hampton County, South Carolina boy is fulfilling his outdoor dreams and inspiring loved ones in the process.

Charles David “CD” Bishop was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on September 10, 2019. The journey has been a rough one, says his family, but he is currently still in remission since October 25, 2019, and is currently in the third cycle of long-term maintenance with almost eight months left in treatment.

“CD is a true hero and a fighter,” says his mother, Jessica Bishop. “He has received so much encouragement from his friends Hunter, Ryan, Joshua and CJ to help him on his journey.  But his faith in God is what keeps us going each day and makes us stronger.”

Friends and neighbors in the small, rural South Carolina Lowcountry community reached out to support Bishop and his family during this battle with cancer, and the outdoors community at home and around the region responded with love and kindness as well. CD has been blessed by many organizations during his journey, including Courageous Kidz, Camp Happy Days, Lowcountry Field of Dreams and The Outdoor Dreams Foundation.

“CD has attended many events and been given funds to help with various things from Courageous Kidz and Camp Happy Days, and Lowcountry Field of Dreams and The Outdoor Dreams Foundation have been awesome with supporting his dreams of the outdoors,” said his mother. “These two organizations are awesome and always looking for great volunteers and funds to help support their organizations. Both help give children with terminal illnesses the opportunity to spend some time outdoors regardless of their situations and let them have a great time doing it. Regardless of the child’s diagnosis or situation, the volunteers assist the children with getting in nature to enjoy doing anything their hearts desire.”

Volunteers from all over the U.S. are involved in the Outdoor Dreams Foundation, and the South Carolina Chapter is directed by Brad Jones from Anderson, S.C., who, along with other volunteers, has contacted CD about future hunts. The Lowcountry Field of Dreams is located near Summerville and is operated by Billy Wayne Chambers and several volunteers.

CD has been involved in several adventures with both organizations, including the Annual Velvet Deer Hunt with Outdoor Dreams and the Youth Day Hunt with Lowcountry Field of Dreams. He was unable to harvest any deer those weekends but had an awesome time with very generous volunteers and met new friends.

CD was blessed to harvest a whitetail deer from Okatie Plantation in S.C. on Friday, Nov. 20, 2020, with the assistance of the Outdoor Dreams Foundation setting up the hunt for him and his dad, Karl Bishop, by his side. On that day, CD harvested an 8-point buck, which Outdoor Dreams mounted for him to enjoy for the rest of his life.

Several weeks after, the Bishops received a phone call about CD going on another hunt.

“We never expected it to be as amazing as it occurred,” said Mrs. Bishop. “Outdoor Dreams Foundation Volunteers Kevin and Kim Little from the Georgia Chapter volunteered their time to take CD on a bear hunt in Eastern North Carolina on December 15, 2020.”

The hunt started around 7:30 a.m. and ended around 11 a.m., when CD harvested his first black bear. The bear was about 175 pounds and was also mounted by The Outdoor Dreams Foundation. The dog drive bear hunt took place with Mills Hunting Club and was led by Jay Tyree.

About a month later, the Bishop family got another phone call about several more hunts. On February 6, CD got to experience a pheasant hunt, where he harvested eight birds and also had his first mounted by Outdoor Dreams. This was a shoot that many children with terminal illnesses attended to enjoy with their families.

On March 13, CD harvested his first Eastern Wild Turkey in Jesup, Georgia, on a hunt sponsored by Harris Ace Gobbler Fest at the Gill Pasture. The bird weighed approximately 19 pounds with a 9 1/2 inch beard and 1 1/2 inch spurs.

On April 17, Nancy Benton dedicated a dock at Nemours Plantation in Yemassee, S.C., in memory of her husband, David, who was a volunteer for Outdoor Dreams. CD was invited and caught a crab and a nice flounder that day in the family event held in memory of David doing what he enjoyed most – helping the kids.

A few days later, CD and family left for a trip to Florida, where Outdoor Dreams volunteer Eric Sanders helped the young hunter harvest three wild hogs and snag a Florida gator. CD also enjoyed turkey hunting for an Osceola turkey but only scouted out a few hens.

“The trip was amazing,” his Mom said. “I believe the most exciting part was when he hooked that six-foot gator and reeled him to the bank!”

CD’s most recent adventure was a catfishing trip hosted by Lowcountry Field of Dreams. CD, along with two friends, was given the opportunity to go out from Black’s Fish Camp near Santee in search of monster catfish. CD was able to harvest five catfish that ranged from five to 34 pounds. The group of 25 children harvested a total of around 50 fish. Each family had a boat to themselves with a boat captain to guide them.

“Cancer sucks for sure, but these great organizations help keep children like CD in positive attitudes,” said Bishop. “These organizations find a way to give these children experiences that they will never forget, regardless of their situations. They are under-funded organizations that are always looking for assistance to keep these hunts going for children all over the United States.

Note: Jessica and Karl Bishop contributed to this story. This article originally appeared in the May 13 issue of the Hampton County Guardian.