It was a celebration Sunday afternoon for the folks who showed up at the benefit for Coach Gary Stamp at Mount Vernon High School.

They saw a man with a new lease on life.

Just three weeks ago, the veteran high school coach thought cancer might be getting the best of him, sooner rather than later.

But back Saturday afternoon from a follow-up visit to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, he said he feels better than he has in months.

Better yet, doctors in Texas told him that the cancer-killing drug he’s been taking for the past month may be doing what they hoped it would.

“They kept telling me how good I looked,” said Stamp, 65, who was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer in mid-March. “It’s too early to tell for sure, but they seemed pretty confident it’s working.”

His complete test results won’t be back for a few days, but he said preliminary exams were all positive.

“I feel really well. My appetite has come back. I can catch my breath again. And I’m to able to walk and jog without getting so worn out," he said. "Really, I haven’t felt this good since November.”

November is when he thought he was coming down with bronchitis, which developed into pneumonia, which eventually led to the shocking conclusion that he has a rare and life-threatening form of cancer.

While his health seemed to suffer some after he was first began taking the high-powered chemotherapy pill Taraceva, things changed dramatically when doctors at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City drained fluid from around his lungs, stomach and legs in mid-April.

“I lost 20 pounds of fluid in just a few days,” Stamp said. “I felt like a new person. And, so far, the fluid hasn’t built back up. That’s made all the difference in the world.”

The goal of taking the field May 9 when his Mount Vernon Mustang softball  team starts practice looks certain.

“It’s been a rollercoaster,” he said. “But I’m hopeful things continue to get better.”

Meanwhile, he and his wife Ava, their three grown sons and daughter, other family members and friends had a party to attend Sunday. A pasta dinner was served at the high school; popular local folk singer Carol Montag performed; there was a silent auction, raffle and bake sale; and LiveStamp shirts were sold.

Considering the close ties Stamp has kept from 42 years of coaching at 13 different area high schools, it was billed as a big family reunion. And for now, at least, they all got to share the good news.