BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Officer Ed Pulley has spent his entire career serving the Bowling Green community. Being diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer in October of 2019, he has been on medical leave taking his first course of treatments.

Neuroendocrine is a rare form of cancer with less than 200,000 reported cases.  The diagnosis has not only taken an emotional toll on Pulley and his family, but medical bills and travel expenses have not made it any easier.

The entire community has rallied behind Officer Pulley with support and donations, eager to give back to the man who has given so much. The Bowling Green Police Department has hosted various fundraisers, in his honor. Hosting a Chili Lunch Fundraiser in the beginning of December, the department gave away chili lunches in return for donations. The BGPD raised more than $25,000 serving hundreds of lunches.

“I’m not surprised at all that our community would do something like this for him, this is what Bowling Green does, this is what holds Bowling Green together, this is what makes Bowling Green, Bowling Green.” says public information officer Ronnie Ward.

Local businesses have also begun lining up in support of Officer Ed Pulley. A week before Christmas, Jet’s Pizza hosted a fundraiser where 20% of sales went to Pulley and his family to help offset medical and travel expenses. Filling around five hundred orders, the pizza place was full of community members showing their support.

“The amount of people that showed up that just worked at the Sheriff’s department and at the courthouse and like you know and just like the stories they told about just knowing Officer Ed Pulley and stuff and just everybody was in here sitting and just like there was hundreds of them but they all looked like family you know so it was amazing to see that.” says Jet’s Pizza manager Zachary Yates.

The local pizza shop raised more than $300, and couldn’t have been more proud and honored to give to an officer that they know has given so much to the community.

“My legs felt like Jell-O, like I could barely walk, but I also had that sense of pride going home like, 'Wow I was a part of that that was pretty cool.” says Yates.

Officer Pulley has been humbled by the support he’s received.

“He cannot believe it, he cannot and truthfully he’s just overwhelmed with the generosity and the compassion this community has shown towards him,” says Ward.

Continuing his course of treatment, he hopes to see successful results and return to the force soon.