Frank Nunez, who was diagnosed with cancer after doctors discovered tumors in his left lung, participated in a commitment ceremony with his fiancée prior to being led home by his fellow firefighters.
When it was time for their colleague who was suffering from terminal cancer to leave the hospital for the last time, firefighters in Illinois bid him a tearful farewell.
On Tuesday, members of the Itasca Fire Protection District assisted in transporting Frank Nunez from Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago to his home. There, his loved ones will concentrate on making him as comfortable as possible in his remaining days and will receive assistance from the Itasca Fire Protection District personnel.
After the 34-year-old Nunez began experiencing pain in his left leg in 2019, doctors at Northwestern Memorial were able to determine that he was suffering from a rare kind of soft tissue cancer known as synovial sarcoma. However, after having surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment, he enjoyed a brief period of remission from the cancer.
The next year, in 2021, medical professionals found evidence that the cancer had spread to Nunez’s left lung. After receiving the diagnosis, Nunez took part in a number of clinical trials, and he continued to work for the fire department even as he was being treated for his condition. Before he was sent to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in September, he had already graduated from a training course for fire inspectors.
On September 21, Nunez and his fiancée, Christina, celebrated his 34th birthday at the hospital, and during the celebration, they also had a commitment ceremony in his room. They had only been acquainted for a few short weeks prior to Nunez being given his initial cancer diagnosis when the couple announced their engagement in June.
There are others in Nunez’s family battling the disease in addition to Nunez himself. On the day of his birthday, his mother went to Northwestern Memorial Hospital to get a stem cell transplant in order to treat her illness. The two of them said their goodbyes to each other using a dry-erase board.
When Itasca Fire Chief Jack Schneidwind took Frank Nunez home from the hospital in one of the ambulances he used as a firefighter, he said to the hospital staff, “There’s nothing sadder than obviously losing somebody, especially somebody young, so vibrant as Frank.” Schneidwind was speaking about Nunez’s passing.
“So to have us have the honor of bringing him home in this — and that’s what it is for us and the people volunteering — it’s an amazing honor to take him on this voyage,” he continued. “So to have us have the honor of bringing him home in this — and that’s what is for us and the people volunteering.” “But there is no denying that it is extremely heartbreaking.”
Dr. Khalilah Gates found it incredibly motivational to observe how the fire department stood behind Nunez throughout his fight.
“To every day see his fellow firefighters in the room, and we’ve just come out of this pandemic where we were all on the frontlines, we were all responding,” Gates told the hospital. “We’ve just come out of this pandemic where we were all on the frontlines, we were all responding.” “And to know that they have placed their life on the line for people, Frank being one of those people,” she said. “And to know that they have done it without hesitation.”
Gates continued by saying, “And now they’re here, seeking for us to offer the care for him, I think that means a lot.” “And I also think, and I was just telling the chief this, that the fact that they were constantly here 24/7 making sure that Frank was never alone speaks volumes to me about who Frank is as a person,” “And I also think, and I was just telling the chief this.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, the amount that has been donated to Nunez and his family through a GoFundMe account is over $25,000.