A large crowd gathered to pray for Straughn High School student Gordie Cartwright last night.

Gordie has been battling CML, a form of leukemia, since October 2014, and doctors have given him just days to live.

SHS Band Director Will Parker said that when he first met Gordie five years ago, he heard all about his famous cornbread.

“I heard all about how Gordie was the cornbread king,” Parker said. “I asked when I was going to get some. I never got any.”

Seven years ago, Gordie, then a fourth grader, brought home the national cornbread title in the annual 4-H cook off. His winning dish: sweet potato cornbread.

Parker said he had the privilege of being around Gordie a lot.

“Don’t think we are just teachers, we are more like family,” he said.

Parker said he had spoken to Rick and Christy Cartwright, Gordie’s parents, and Gordie has accepted Christ.

“We will see him again,” he said. Parker said if he could describe Gordie in one word it would be: Love.

Parker talked about the impact that Gordie had on the SHS student body.

“One person can change lives,” he said.

Parker said that Gordie always has a smile on his face or was always telling a corny joke.

“He would tell me about game I knew nothing about,” he said. “It all goes back to love.”

Parker said that Gordie is the type of person who would “no doubt” lay down his life.

He said he was going to strive to be more like Gordie.

“Seventeen years old – yes it’s too young to go through anything of this nature,” Parker said. “But it only took Gordie 17 years to complete his task.”

Parker said he’s never seen a community be as tight and as loving as the Straughn community.

Students read scriptures and fellow band student, Erin, read something she had written about Gordie.

Bethany Baptist Church Youth Minister Lee Harper also spoke.