A young firefighter who has dedicated his life to saving others is suddenly facing death himself. But his fire station wasn't about to let him go through a brutal diagnosis by himself.
It’s Nick Crosby’s 33rd birthday. You wouldn't’t know it from the family's wide smiles but they are going through one of the scariest moments imaginable.
“He’s like ‘It’s Hodgkin’s Lymphoma’," described Crosby of the doctor's diagnosis.
It all started with a cough. August turned to September and then October. But Crosby wasn't getting any better.
“I would cough and the fevers and the night sweats and the chills and fatigue," said Crosby.
Two days ago was his first round of chemo. He’ll have 12 of them every two weeks. Crosby is stage three but his cancer is 100% curable.
“Diagnosed with cancer when you are 32. It’s scary." he said.
According to a multi-year study by the International Association of Firefighters, cancer caused 61% of the career firefighter line-of duty-deaths between 2002 and 2016. Crosby says his doctor told him the cause was environmental. Although, it's nearly impossible to identify the true cause. A study released by the Florida Cancer Support Network showed firefighters have a 9% higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer than the general U.S. population. Sadly, they also have a 14% higher risk of dying from it.
“It was definitely a bit of a shock. Nick is one of the--iff not the-- most physically fit people in this fire department," said friend and fellow firefighter Dan Shanks.
He's refusing to let Crosby fight this alone. Shanks started a GoFundMe campaign to help Crosby with the bills. In just four days, he gathered more than $8,000.
“We go to people and we help them when they need help the most. And now in my time of need all these people they’re still coming in with the support and the love that we need to get through this," said Crosby. Today he has just one wish for his 34th.
“No more cancer, no more treatments, no doctors appointments," he said.
If you'd like to help the Crosby family, click here.
