Our Stories

I'm not going to lie-- the physical struggle in dealing with Crohn's disease and balancing my work and health is hard. Sometimes I have to concede and give my body a rest, if only to keep my brothers at the firehouse safe. But I've learned how to listen to my body, and I've learned how to keep it as healthy as possible.

Instead of giving me hope, the doctors tried to take my hope away. They told a 14 year old boy that he could never be the one thing he dreamed of since as long as he remembered, a firefighter. I continued trying. The next year and a half was spent sitting on the sidelines at training.

Being a firefighter was always my dream, and now, helping others understand that diabetes never has to hold you back from what you want to do in life, has become a passion.

I never told the other firefighters in my department about my depression. I was afraid they would see me in a different light if they knew how depressed I was before joining. I would rather not be treated differently because of it. No one is alone. Even if they choose to keep it to themselves, as I have done until now, they’re not alone. Never. That’s something I’ve learned.