Message to firefighters in Worcester and beyond: Cancer screenings save lives

WORCESTER — City firefighter Ryan Kelley attended Tuesday night’s free cancer screening for Massachusetts firefighters at Polar Park, because he wanted to say “hello” to Dr. Jessica St. John.

The two will always be linked by a chain of events that can be described as life-saving and an incredible coincidence.

It all started five years ago, when Kelley was a Wellesley firefighter.

He was called to the scene of a car accident, where a 7-year-old boy was fighting for his life.

Kelley and another firefighter performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the child was airlifted to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he recovered.

The boy is St. John’s son, but she didn’t know it was Kelley who helped save his life when the accident occurred.

Kelley wasn't sure St. John was the boy’s mother, even though he remembers seeing her at the accident scene, wearing a white lab coat.

Both figured out their connection last year, when they met in St. John’s dermatology office at UMass Memorial Health after Kelley was told what he thought was a harmless scab on his left temple was, in fact, a tumor.

A biopsy revealed basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer.

Surgery removed the growth, and today the 36-year-old Kelley is cancer free.

'Crazy moment'

That is how St. John described the moment when she first spoke with Kelley in her office, and realized he was the firefighter who performed CPR on her son.

Kelley described the moment as "insane."

Today, St. John’s son, Dominic Staunton, is a healthy 13-year-old, and he has Kelley to thank for playing a role in his survival.

Important message

Kelley and St. John not only shared that story with the Telegram and Gazette at Tuesday’s screening but also had a message for all firefighters — don't put off cancer screening.

“Get checked. The sooner you do it, the better off you are,” said Kelley, who believes there's a "huge possibility" that carcinogens in the headband inside his helmet from his firefighting duties may have caused his tumor.

"There's no way to prove it," said Kelley, adding that he never cleaned his helmet during the seven years he was a Wellesley firefighter.

"That's my own fault."

Roughly 160 Massachusetts firefighters were expected to attend Tuesday’s screening, with more than half of them Worcester firefighters.

This was the second straight year the screening was put on by DetecTogether, a national education and advocacy nonprofit that promotes early detection of cancers.

“Cancers are more curable if they’re caught early, always,” said Heather Maykel, director of partnership and program development at DetecTogether.

The organization cites studies that indicate firefighters have a 14% greater risk of dying from cancer, compared to the general public. Also, two in three firefighter deaths in the U.S. annually are caused by cancer.

The reasons behind those figures are twofold, according to DetecTogether: Firefighters are exposed to carcinogens on the job, and their cancers are often detected late, when they’re harder to treat and survival rates are lower.

Procrastination factor

Kelley addressed the procrastination factor for many firefighters.

“A lot of firefighters, young ones, think they won’t get sick. But one day, it can happen.”

Shawn O'Neill, a 16-year veteran of the Oxford Fire and Emergency Services Department, attended the screening and spoke about the death of former Oxford Fire Chief Jeffrey Wilson from thyroid cancer.

"Seeing him, (cancer) can definitely happen to anyone," said O'Neill.

Maykel explained DetecTogher held a training session last year for Worcester firefighters to teach what cancer symptoms to look for and what to do if they appear.

What resulted was a request from the Worcester Fire Department to hold a skin cancer screening event, said Maykel.

The first one was held last year, a joint effort with UMass Memorial Health, and 120 firefighters attended.

One of them was Kelley, and it’s where he was told his scab was a tumor.

No data

The Worcester firefighters union doesn't have statistics on the number of firefighters that contracted and died from cancers, said Michael Pagagni, president of International Association of Firefighters Local 1009.

The union does stress early detection of cancers.

"(The union) is active in early detection and awareness, education and cancer prevention," said Pagagni. "We work hard with the city and fire department, have good practices as far as cleaning gear and practices to take toxins from body quickly after a fire, so we reduce the risk as much as possible."

Every firehouse has an extractor, a heavy-duty washing machine, that cleans toxins from gear after a fire. Firefighter helmets, called "hoods," are cleaned after fires.

Pagagni explained the neck area absorbs toxins at a higher rate, so firefighters are encouraged to wipe down that area of their body and take showers after a fire to remove toxins.

In addition, all Worcester firefighters have two sets of gear, so one is washed while the other is in use.

Expansion

This year’s screening included UMass Chan Medical School students, who worked with UMass Memorial doctors to provide not only skin cancer screenings behind private curtains but also head and neck screenings.

Other services included counseling for colonoscopy, chest CT scan, PSA blood test and blood pressure checks.

“This is a sign that the educational effort is working. How firefighters are caring for themselves, and it’s really terrific to see that,” said Dr. Bruce Weinstein, chief of general internal medicine at UMass Memorial.

Matt Russo isn’t a Worcester firefighter, yet.

He attended Tuesday’s screenings, and plans to become a Worcester firefighter in January after finishing his training at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy.

“I think a lot of firefighters are reluctant (to get cancer screening),” said Russo, a 32-year-old Grafton native. “They’re afraid of the outcome, they could have cancer.

“But it’s better to know now, so it can be treated and you can be able to live your life without being scared.”

Far from over

Kelley's connection with St. John is far from over.

After his cancer-free diagnosis, he drops by her office every six months for five years to make sure his cancer is kept in check. If everything works out, it's an annual checkup for the rest of his life.

Kelley is a big supporter of early cancer screening.

"Getting checked is easy. Going through cancer treatment is difficult. Do the easy part, and get checked."

Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @henrytelegram

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: A message to firefighters in Worcester: Get screened for cancer