At Fountainhead Taproom, hundreds of friends of the owners of the 104 year old restaurant Zarzours-Shannon and Dixie Fuller- gathered at a fundraiser for Shannon and to celebrate her birthday.
Shannon Fuller has stage 4 cancer and doesn't have medical insurance.
She needed help paying her medical bills resulting in customers showing up in droves to show their support.
The street was closed off to make sure there was enough room for everyone.
They first had a silent auction, and a live auction where people donated thousands of dollars.
There was live music to entertain the masses, food, drinks, an upbeat atmosphere and a birthday cake for Shannon to be shared with those who wanted a slice.
Shannon's friends gave donations throughout the evening and the outpouring of love was incredible.
"Chemotherapy by itself is 120,000 dollars and you look at a bill like that and you just go, this is so overwhelming,” said Dixie Fuller, so he was thankful people decided to chip in and said it shows just how much people appreciate Shannon.
He said his wife of 37 years became the heart and soul of Zarzours.
"She literally put Zarzours on the map,” he said. "She's the best friend in my life and we didn't have any idea, we didn't see this train coming."
"Shannon has been helping everyone she meets since she's been in town,” said Jennifer Crutchfield, a longtime friend of the Fullers.
The lively group at Fountainhead Taproom returned the love they’ve been shown by the business owners through their generous contributions, presence, and smiles.
Fred Hope said he was visiting Chattanooga from England just to go to Zarzours and attended the fundraiser. He said her situation resonates with him and it was worth the visit.
"Just got a huge capacity for loving people and this is sort of the payback of being a good friend to whoever she's found,” said Hope.
The Fullers couldn’t be more grateful.
"There are so many benevolent and kind people and we are finding out how well Shannon did touch this community,” said Dixie.
Shannon’s voice was weak, but she was able to muster the strength to use her voice to thank those who mean so much to her at the party.
The Fullers said they are still counting how much they raised. Among the items auctions were our own David Carroll’s autographed copy of his book “Chattanooga Radio and Television”, a 500 dollar gift card from Barn nursery, and memorabilia from the Alabama Band which Dixie Fuller was once a part of.
Local 3 News wishes Shannon the best on her journey and a Happy Birthday!
