Ringing the Bell: A Firefighter's Cancer Treatment Milestone
I hope you are well.
We are.
Today we are well.
Much has been covered in these newsletters and blogs on this particular subject. We have come to the celebratory moments of this experience.
On April 3rd, Michael “Rang the Bell” signifying the end of his Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy treatments.'
Want to read Michael's full story? Click here to read it in full.
From Active Surveillance to Active Treatment
As you may recall from previous articles, the beginning of his story was not quite clear. Much ambiguity was presented around images identified by expensive tests. It truly wasn't until he took his mandatory yearly physical that identified the shift from what was once called "Active Surveillance" to "Active Treatment."
Being Your Own Advocate
Being your own advocate is one of the best roles you can take in caring for your Body, Mind and Spirit.
Even strong, experienced firefighters are not immune to uncertainty and fear.
Michael and I will celebrate 32 years of marriage this coming October - (35 years of living together) and this is how I often describe Firefighters:
Michael’s nickname in the Fire Dept is “Bert”
(Even the Congratulatory card from his Utah Cancer Specialists’ nurses couldn’t resist!)
12-year olds with a badge and a uniform
A litter of puppies
Emerging Adults
It doesn’t really matter how old they are (nor the gender), the prankster jokes and brother/sisterhood camaraderie are still significant characteristics of these civil servant professionals. (As a sideline observer, I just have too many stories to tell!)
But there is something else that should be written about them too:
Brave
Well-trained
And firefighters can be very VERY stubborn human beings.
UCS Nursing Staff received a Thank You cake in return for their expertise, kindness and sense of humor
The Firefighter Factor
They are hard-wired to help others, but they have also been known to self neglect.
A statewide fully-funded 3-year screening is now available for firefighters (retired ones hopefully soon) - Why? Because they have a 9% higher chance of developing cancer and are 14% more likely to die of cancer than the general population.
Any yet… this realization (in addition to seeking out help) stirs up emotions surrounding this uncertainty and conjures up feelings that don’t necessarily follow a typical Firefighter protocol
Getting firefighters to take advantage of this free and thorough screening can be a challenge.
No matter the age, gender, or rank, this is their truth:
Everyone Goes Home
It requires a Community to be well.
Here is how I’m going to end this week’s article. (I’ve written so much about this topic, I encourage you to go back to my website where archived blogs reside for you to seek further information.)
