MONETA, Va. – A Bedford County firefighter is fighting for his life as he battles cancer.
President of the Moneta Volunteer Fire Department Chris Tucker was diagnosed with cancer at the end of last year, facing multiple forms, including brain cancer.
He’s been serving the Moneta community for more than seven years.
“You can’t ever not find him smiling and just being that father figure,” Moneta Volunteer Assistant Fire Chief Laird Wysor said.
Tucker is currently in recovery at a rehab facility in Richmond.
Unfortunately, cases like Tucker’s are all too common at fire stations around the country as they can face exposure to smoke and chemicals daily.
“I would be willing to wager that there is not a department in just the Roanoke region that’s not affected with a new diagnosis probably a minimum of every month and probably more than that,” Wysor said. “It’s just an unfortunate side effect of what we do.”
However, firefighters come together as a team, whether it’s on a job, or during a personal battle. Tucker’s coworkers will host a spaghetti and chicken dinner fundraiser for his family on February 17.
“Anybody just kind of going through that, you kind of get a little bit of a sense of hopelessness,” Wysor said. “We want to show support.”
The event takes place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Moneta Volunteer Fire Department, 12737 North Old Moneta Rd.
Food is dine-in or take-out and costs $10 a plate.