Dan Ranahan is with the Boston Fire Department, and back in 2020, he had a terrible time battling stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma. He was 30 years old, a working firefighter, and the father of a newborn. Back then, Dan had fever, fatigue and a lingering cough, but please, he insisted, no doctors. He laughs when he recalls talking to his wife, Jessica.
“It didn't go that smoothly in the conversation. Believe me, I never want to go to the doctor’s. We fought tooth and nail.”
It was a battle Jessica won.
DAN’S DIAGNOSIS
The doctor thought it might be Covid, but decided to go a step further, and ordered a CT scan of his chest, a last minute test that saved his life.
“My doctor said you have a mass in your chest the size of a coconut,” and Dan added, “I had my biopsy on Wednesday and I started treatment on Friday. In two weeks my cancer went from Stage 1 to Stage 4, and it spread from my chest down to my kneecaps.” He received chemo treatments every two weeks and they lasted for 24 weeks.
Typically, Hodgkins Lymphoma is a slow-moving cancer, but the carcinogens in fire gear, such as the protective coat and pants, likely sped up cancer growth, as well as his exposure from fighting fires, according to his oncologists.
In fact, firefighters have a significantly higher rate of cancer. In 2023, 72% of IAFF’s in-line-of- duty deaths were due to occupational cancer (International Association of Fire Fighters)
WHAT HELPED DAN TO SURVIVE
Two things aided Dan’s survival: the overwhelming support from family, friends, and the firefighting community and his Catholic faith.
“It's not just the people that are taking care of you. It's not just modern day medicine that's healing people. There's more going on behind the scenes. It's a mental clarity thing when you know that there’s someone looking out for you and it gives you that peace of mind.”
He offered three hard-won pieces of wisdom:
- Stay positive. “The mental state is the biggest. If your mind starts decaying, your body follows right after.”
- Don’t google for information, instead talk to your doctors directly. “Everyone's body reacts different to treatment.”
- Spouses and caretakers don’t get enough credit. Back then, Jessica stood by him in every way, and baby MacKenzie fueled Dan’s will to fight on. Today they have another daughter, Molly, and son, Aiden.
THE BROTHERHOOD AND SISTERHOOD OF FIREFIGHTERS
Dan and his brother Kevin, are second generation firefighters. He graduated from high school, went into the Air Force, and straight into firefighting.
Firefighters came out in force to support him. “People were showing up daily. If it was bringing our trash out, if it was shoveling our driveway, if it was delivering food, if it was anything, people were doing it.”
On his last day of chemo, his wife and nurses arranged for Dan to have a window seat at the hospital, so he could see Brookline Avenue (Boston) crowded with supporters holding signs, waving, and cheering for him.
But was the supportive reaction for him personal, or did firefighters do that for everyone?
WHY DAN FOUNDED THE BOSTON FIRE CANCER FOUNDATION
The brotherhood and sisterhood of firefighters are powerful, and Dan wants firefighters who persevere through cancer to have the same support he did. To that end, he founded Boston Fire Cancer Foundation in 2021 where requests for hospital rides, meals, and other needs are filled. They are connected to firefighter cancer survivors who can talk to them, and he said, “So you're not talking to someone that's never been through this.”
Volunteers blow up his phone all the time with offers to help.
“I want to make sure that everyone had the same support I did. Whether they have ten minutes on the job or ten years. I want them knowing that people will take care of you, no matter what.”
DAN’S REMISSION AND CAREER DIRECTION TODAY
Today, Dan Ranahan is in remission, and still works for the Boston Fire Deparment.
“I head up to headquarters and work on safety, health, and wellness. No, I can't put the gear on. It’s like an administrative position.”
He and Jessica are busy with their foundation as well, and working with others to grow awareness and bring help to firefighters everywhere.
WORKING WITH OTHER CANCER NON-PROFITS
Dan’s Boston Fire Cancer Foundation works with Firefighters vs Cancer through its founder Mike Foley, a retired lieutenant with the Boston Fire Department. FVC wants to get early cancer screening kits to all firefighters. Mike worked with Dan’s father for many years, and was one of the first supporters of Dan’s foundation.
“Mike’s been so proactive as far as the cancer goes. Everything he's doing is unbelievable,” he said.
Dan’s foundation also collaborates with DetecTogether for early detection of all cancers.
“The whole thing comes to the best way to help everyone. If you have a 100,000 partnerships, then everyone's getting taken care of. That's the ideal situation, right?”
Dan feels cancer has given him a purpose. “I feel like the Big Guy upstairs said, ‘You know what this is? This is your opportunity to shed light on what's going on and helping.”
Do you have a story about firefighters and cancer to share? Contact Suzette Martinez Standring: suzette@firefightersvscancer.org
If you want to contact Dan Ranahan featured in this story, email: bostonffcancerfoundation@gmail.com
Visitor Comments (1)
