Code 3 For a Cure Honors Firefighter Oldham With Special Mission

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Once each year, members of the Code 3 for a Cure Foundation set out across the United States and Canada on their Mission of Honor and Hope to raise awareness about cancer in the fire service.

This year, Code 3 Founder and President Lorenzo Abundiz created a special week-long mission so Kevin Oldham, 33, a firefighter from Waukegan, Illinois who is suffering from pancreatic cancer could once again talk to firefighters directly.

"This can happen to you," Oldham said to firefighters in Rockford, Illinois. "I was diagnosed last April, 2010. I was very healthy. I had a healthy lifestyle, and now I'm fighting for my life with pancreatic cancer."

Along with encouraging firefighters to get early cancer screenings by bringing the reality of cancer into their firehouse, they honor firefighters who have fallen to the disease.

"I fought three different cancer battles. I've seen my comrades die of cancer, and I wanted to fight back," Abundiz said.

The main mission of 2011 will kick off March 14, 2011 from Ripon, California and will once again travel more than 20,000 miles.

The term "Code 3" refers to the highest level of response for an emergency vehicle, with lights and sirens. For this organization, it means to move to the highest level of response to find a cure for all cancer and to help those who are already affected by the disease.

Code 3 is a non-profit organization that also raises money to help firefighters with cancer face financial burdens. More information is available at www.code3foracure.org.

Related FDNNTV Video Stories:
Code 3 for a Cure 2010 Mission
Code 3 for a Cure 2009 Mission



Author:Barbara Brooks - Fire Department Network News