It’s called Walk for the Red 140. Firefighters are walking 140 miles to help firefighters battling cancer.
“It’s always going to be something we deal with just because of the smoke and the chemicals we deal with on a daily basis,” said firefighter Joseph Warne.
Warne is talking about the cancer risk firefighters face doing their job. He and others are walking the 140 miles from Macomb Township to Grand Rapids to raise money for those currently battling the disease and the families of those who have died from it.
“In 2019, when cancer was deemed the No. 1 killer of firefighters, we wanted to bring awareness to it in the state,” he said.
Awareness to help families like Eric Brown’s.
“My father passed away from cancer,” said Brown. “He was fire chief in Ovid for a number of years. He was diagnosed with cancer Memorial Day weekend and passed away Fourth of July weekend. Very quick. Five weeks.”
The firefighters’ walk isn’t an easy one.
“We’re going in full gear,” Warne said. “60 pounds. And if we get rained on it’s a lot more.”
They need to raise about $25,000 more to hit their goal. The money is then split between 24 firefighters needing financial help fighting cancer this year and the families of ten firefighters who have died from the disease.
Click here if you’d like to learn more about the walk and click here if you’d like to make a donation.
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