MARYSVILLE, Mich. – Marysville Fire Department is asking for the public’s help after one of their own suffered a heart attack while on duty.
Roger Dyjak, 51, has served as a firefighter for many years at different departments and was recently hired full-time at Marysville.
“He was at work, at the fire station, it was kind of bothering him throughout the day, so he ended up finally telling one of the other guys something doesn’t feel right, ‘I need to get checked out,’” said fellow firefighter Kyle Csiki.
The EKG results came back fine, but they took him to the hospital anyway.
That’s when they learned he was having a heart attack and needed immediate medical intervention.
“He ended up getting a quadruple bypass surgery and then also had to go back into the hospital because he ended up getting an infection in one of his sites,” Csiki said. “With him being new on the job like myself, and him being on probation and not having the sick or vacation time built up, we’re doing this fundraiser to make sure he still has an income for not only himself but for his daughter as well.”
On Saturday (Sept. 23), there will be a spaghetti dinner fundraiser from 4-7 p.m. at the fire station located in the 1355 block of Delaware Avenue in Marysville.
There will be door prizes, a 50/50 raffle, and much more.
Tickets for the fundraising dinner are $14 for those 14 and up, $8 for those 13 and under, and kids under five are free. Parking will be available at City Hall and the middle school and high school located right nearby.
If you cannot attend the fundraiser but would like to donate to Dyjak, you can drop off donations at the firehouse.
Csiki says the response has been enormous, and they are grateful to see so many interested in helping Dyjak, who has spent his life serving others.
“It’s really nice,” Csiki said. “It gives us a boost, not only Roger but (all of us) us on the fire department. A lot of the jobs we do is thankless work; it’s exhausting work, and to see the community when we ask for help to step up, especially local businesses, it means a lot to us and shows us how much people appreciate what we do.”
Firefighters say McLaren Hospital wants to offer free heart checks and screenings to firefighters in light of Dyjak’s heart attack. While in recovery, Dyjak is continuing on with his paramedic training and certification.