If You Love a Firefighter, Please Read This
What we learned when my husband's "dormant" cancer suddenly shifted—and why every firefighter family needs this information now.
Firefighter cancer is not a distant risk. It's an active, present reality affecting first responder families across the country. When my husband—a 28-year fire service veteran, paramedic, and cancer prevention advocate—was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, our family joined thousands of others navigating the intersection of occupational exposure and cancer risk. This is our story, and the urgent message I need every fire family to hear about early detection, decontamination protocols, and why awareness is the greatest gift we can offer the firefighters we love.
The Story Behind the Message
Twenty years ago, on my daughter's birthday, I sat in a doctor's office and heard the words no one wants to hear. The day that should have been filled with cake and candles became a hinge in our family story.
I didn't know then how many circles life would draw back to that moment.
About a year and a half ago, my husband received his diagnosis: non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It was labeled indolent—"active surveillance"—something to watch closely, something we hoped would stay in the background. And for a while, it did.
But this past year, on my son's birthday, everything shifted.
His platelets suddenly dropped. What had been dormant became urgent. It was time to begin chemotherapy.
Another birthday. Another turning point. Another circle closing inside our family. And all of it happening in the same year I relaunched Revealing Grace, the book born from my own cancer journey.
Life has a way of stitching things together in ways we don't always understand at first.
His Quiet Emergency
Most people who know my husband know him as the calm one. The firefighter with almost three decades of service. The paramedic. The teacher. The union leader. The one who cooks breakfast for the whole station on shift mornings. The one you want next to you when everything is falling apart.
He has spent 28 years running into other people's emergencies.
But cancer is not an emergency with sirens or smoke. It is quiet. Slow. Persistent.
After his initial November appointment, he began chemotherapy a week later. A lot of medicine altered his wellness. A man who hates taking anything—seriously, not even ibuprofen—now consumes medication several times a day.
And then, respite. A few weeks after his first chemo session, he began to feel something he hadn't felt in weeks: wellness. Not surface wellness, but the deeper kind where body and mind start speaking the same language.
Taking pre-scheduled vacation and a few sick days from his 48/96 shift rotation, he realized what his body had been asking for all along:
I need more sleep.
I need to step off night shifts.
I need to think about retirement.
I need to tend to my emotional and spiritual health.
Humor is medicine.
Music helps me understand myself.
Endurance requires faith in something you can't see yet.
Illness has a way of showing us what we've carried for too long—and what's no longer ours to hold.
The Firefighter Cancer Reality I Can't Ignore
Here is the heart of this story—the part I need every person connected to the fire service to read.
My husband's cancer is not random. Firefighter cancer rarely is.
For decades, he has worked inside burning buildings filled with plastics, industrial chemicals, toxins, and carcinogenic particles that cling to skin, gear, lungs, hair, and firehouse walls.
He has also spent years advocating for firefighter cancer education, teaching crews how to decontaminate gear, urging departments to upgrade protocols, and standing at the Capitol pushing for presumptive cancer coverage.
And still—even with all his knowledge—cancer still found him.
That is the reality for firefighters today.
What Every Firefighter Family Needs to Know
Firefighters face significantly higher cancer risks than the general population. Not later in life—now. Not hypothetically—actively.
When my husband started advocating, our state recognized only three cancers as fire-related. Now there are at least fifteen under consideration. And the research continues to grow.
If you love a firefighter, please learn:
How to properly clean and decontaminate gear
Why post-fire wipes and showers matter
The importance of thorough, regular medical screening
The value of full bloodwork, including platelet counts
Early warning signs that should not be ignored
Protocols that keep toxins off their bodies and out of the home
The political work needed to protect benefits and families
My husband's platelets dropped at the right time—that's why he's in treatment before things became advanced.
Early detection saves lives. Early education saves families.
Why I'm Sharing This Now
Because this year, everything came full circle.
Because I want every fire family to have the knowledge we needed long before we had it.
Because maybe your firefighter won't read the research. Maybe they'll ignore symptoms or push past fatigue. Maybe they'll assume they're fine because they're strong—because firefighters always assume they're strong.
So if you only read one thing from me this month, let it be this:
If you know a firefighter, please share this story.
If you love a firefighter, please make sure they understand their cancer risk.
Awareness is not fear—awareness is love.
Firefighters deserve long lives. Their families deserve answers. And early cancer education is one of the greatest gifts we can offer them.
Frequently Asked Questions About Firefighter Cancer
Why are firefighters at higher risk for cancer? Firefighters face repeated exposure to carcinogenic chemicals, toxins, and particles found in burning buildings. These substances—from plastics, industrial materials, and synthetic products—cling to skin, gear, and lungs, creating cumulative occupational exposure over years of service.
What types of cancer are most common among firefighters? Research links firefighting to elevated rates of several cancers, including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple myeloma, testicular cancer, prostate cancer, and various skin cancers. Many states now recognize fifteen or more cancers as presumptively fire-related.
How can firefighters reduce their cancer risk? Proper gear decontamination after every fire, immediate post-fire wipes and showers, regular medical screenings, comprehensive bloodwork (including platelet counts), and following updated department protocols all reduce exposure and support early detection.
What is presumptive cancer coverage for firefighters? Presumptive coverage laws recognize that certain cancers in firefighters are job-related, streamlining access to workers' compensation and medical benefits without requiring firefighters to prove their cancer came from occupational exposure.
How can families support firefighter health? Learn decontamination protocols, encourage regular medical checkups, watch for early warning signs, and advocate for protective policies at the local and state level. Sometimes the people who love firefighters notice changes before they do.
What are early warning signs of cancer in firefighters? Unexplained fatigue, changes in bloodwork (especially platelet counts), persistent symptoms, or anything that feels "off" should prompt medical evaluation. Early detection dramatically improves treatment outcomes.
Amy Conn is the author of Revealing Grace: A Story About a Cancer Adventure and a Community. She writes about healing, hope, and the circles life draws when we least expect them. Check out what people are saying.
