ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando firefighters are asking for your help to support their beloved crewmate who was hospitalized this week after doctors diagnosed him with early signs of cancer.
“I never once thought I’d get cancer, you know. You never think it’ll be you,” said Orlando firefighter Juwan VanBuren, who has been in the hospital since Tuesday.
Masses and swollen lymph nodes first discovered in his right lung in July spread to his left lung.
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Fellow firefighter Justin Glass said VanBuren’s condition started off small but quickly worsened.
“It started as something simple we noticed around the station, which steadily progressed and got worse. It was kind of a team effort to implore him to go and seek medical care,” Glass explained.
Florida has a firefighter cancer benefit that provides $25,000 at the time of diagnosis for those with certain cancers, but VanBuren hasn’t worked at Station 9 long enough to qualify.
“Some people—you can get this your first year on the job. But if it hasn’t been five years, it’s kind of like you’re in the weeds,” one firefighter said.
Instead, VanBuren’s crew at Orlando Firehouse 9 is raising money to help pay for his treatment and to support his family—including his newborn daughter, who was born just before his diagnosis in July. The station also donated around $5,000 of its own money.
“His situation—it could be any of us. It can happen to any of our coworkers anytime,” another firefighter said.
VanBuren is currently approved to continue receiving pay while he’s out of work until October. After that, he’ll have to reapply in hopes of keeping his coverage.
If you’d like to support this Vanburen and his family, you can find the GoFundMe here.