MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee firefighter used to saving others now needs a little saving of his own after he was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin's lymphoma.
“It must be tough because you’re on your last leg," said Carl Peterson. "It may be the last chance for you to live."
That’s the harsh reality a local firefighter is now forced to confront. Brian Cox was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin's lymphoma in October of 2016 and although he’s used to battling fires in his career, this is the biggest blaze Brian's has gone up against thus far. He now needs a bone marrow transplant to survive.
“I’m to the point where I know that I need help and I know that I need a lot of help," Cox said.
That’s why Brian and his band of brothers are issuing a 911 call of their own hosting a three-day bone marrow registry drive in partnership with the BloodCenter of Wisconsin and the Milwaukee Professional Firefighters.
The group is asking anyone eligible to join the national bone marrow donor registry in hopes of being the match for Cox or another patient awaiting a transplant.
“There [are] roughly 30 million people or so that are in the registry," Cox said.
"And in that whole big group of 30 million people. I don’t have a match," he also said.
But Cox hasn’t given up hope and his support system is unwavering. Cancer may be Cox's toughest opponent yet, but just as he fights fires, he plans to keep fighting for his life.
For more information on joining the bone marrow registry, click here.
