Life was going along, just as expected. I had been with the Chicago Fire Department since 2000, 11 years into my career. While recovering from a shoulder surgery from an injury sustained on duty, I noticed a small lump along my waistline. Thinking I may have a hernia based on its location, I ignored it for a couple of months. I needed to focus on my shoulder recovery and get back to work.
Eventually, I decided that I needed to get it looked at. Seeing a primary physician, they poked around on it and said, “Nope, not a hernia,” and sent me off for further tests.
Still not overly concerned, I scheduled my ultrasound to get a better look at this thing. While there, the ultrasound tech said, “I need to get someone else to look at this.” Now, reality started setting in.
This started a series of imaging and surgeries to eventually produce a cancer diagnosis. By this time, I started to have pain from the tumor. Imaging confirmed that the majority of my abdomen had cancerous lymph throughout it. One of the first phrases out of my mouth that summer night was, “I’ve never even smoked.”
My cancer type was a rare, aggressive type, and I needed to start chemo immediately.
I spent six months undergoing chemotherapy, with the fear that the chemo would not work. Eventually, I found that it was doing great, and I was on my way to a full recovery.
During that time, I found many friends who stood up to help me as I learned to regain strength. Afterward, I felt it necessary to help the next person with a diagnosis, so I began fundraising and volunteering with various cancer agencies, including the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) and the Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN).
I have led a much more fulfilling life after my diagnosis than before and consider my cancer diagnosis, while a defining redirect in my life, to be a “medical hiccup” as I have not had any further issues since that diagnosis in 2011.
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These IAFF member survivor stories were collected by the Firefighter Cancer Support Network for Fire Fighter Cancer Awareness Month in January.