Murrieta firefighter paramedic Landon Hill said it has been difficult watching fellow firefighter paramedic Dean Hale fight his stage four non-small cell lung cancer this year.
The Murrieta Fire Department's Ironman Triathlon team, as well as Dean Hale and City Council members Rick Gibbs and Randon Lane. (Courtesy photo, Erica Corelli)
?It?s been rough,? Hill said. ?He?s such a fighter.?
A month after Hale was diagnosed on March 28, Landon and 12 other Murrieta firefighters formed a triathlon team ? in support of Hale?s cancer fight ? to compete in the March 31 California Ironman 70.3 competition in Oceanside.
Since then, the group has been able to raise nearly $9,000 for the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, which also has supported Hale through his cancer battle.
?We wanted to give back to (the cancer support network), especially after hearing all that they did (for Hale),? Hill said. ?This is our fire family. We?re very close.?
The triathlon firefighters presented a check for $8,623.07 ? raised with corporate sponsorships, a car wash, community donations via the ?Fill the Boot? campaign and personal donations, Murrieta Fire Department Fire Chief Matt Shobert said.
Dan Crow, the California coordinator for the network, accepted the check Saturday. City Council members Rick Gibbs and Randon Lane were on hand for the presentation.
?And this is why our community is always so proud of our department,? Lane said.
Hale said he has been blessed in his successful fight against his aggressive cancer. Thanks to a new pill called Crizotanib that he takes twice a day, Hale will be able to live out the rest of his life even with cancer cells present in his body.
He said his family, his fire family and the Firefighter Cancer Support Network have been pivotal in his fight against the disease.
?We talk about a fire family,? Hale said ?There is no comparison to what the family has done for me.?
Hale said the support network delivered a cancer-fighting informational kit and received two separate phone calls from firefighters around the country who were fighting the same type of cancer.
He said the network helped him through the ?what-do-you-do-now stage.?
?It?s been amazing what they?ve done,? he said.
The California Ironman competition includes a back-to-back 1.2-mile ocean swim, a 56-mile bike ride through Camp Pendleton and a 13.1-mile run by the pier.
Over 25 percent of the Murrieta Fire Department suppression personnel registered to compete.
Members of the Ironman Team MFD 2012 include Richard Curran, Forest Hansen, David Perez, Shad Chanley, Dan Grassmeier, Andy Schmader, Sean DeGrave, Ryan Roufs, Jeff Asbury, Landon Hill, Travis Anderson, Jake Wright and Matt Shobert.
Email Rachael.recker@swrnn.com or follow her on Twitter
Source: http://www.swrnn.com/2011/12/17/murrieta-firefighters-donate-nearly-9k-to-cancer-support-network/
miracle berry billy crystal veterans day thank you veterans day thank you nigel tufnel day black friday deals molokai
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.