BURLINGTON, Wis. — The annual Burlington Christmas Parade brought its usual sounds, sights and festive atmosphere to the community this year. But for volunteer firefighter Jason Martin, this year's parade looked different from his usual perspective.
Instead of rolling down the street with the Burlington Fire Department as he normally would, Martin watched from the curb, surrounded by family and friends who have become his support system during a difficult time.
"I've always had interest in the firefighting field and do what I can for my community," Martin said.
Now, his community is rallying around him after Martin was recently diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, an aggressive cancer of the blood and bone marrow.
"Started treatments almost two weeks ago now. Doing as good as I can be, and it's working for us so far," Martin said.
Watch: From fighting fires to fighting cancer: Burlington rallies around volunteer firefighter
The travel and treatments have sidelined him from serving in the fire department, and the road ahead will be a long one. He also won't be able to work his full-time job for six months. But he's not facing it alone.
His sister, Nicole Tomczak, contacted TMJ4 to raise awareness about her brother's fight.
"He loves it, so he wants to get back to it as soon as he can," Tomczak said.
"All the surgeries and procedures that he's gonna have… this'll help tremendously. He's off work for quite some time, so he'll need anything and everything you can give — support, donations, prayers," Tomczak said.
During the parade, Burlington firefighters collected donations with 100% going toward Martin's medical fund.
"Me being out of work, it's tough right now. I only get so much through disability, so every little bit helps keep me afloat and get all my bills paid," Martin said.
In a time of uncertainty, the parade provided a bit of normalcy for this volunteer firefighter who loves his community — and they love him back.
"Words can't express what it means to me. This means a lot to me," Martin said.
His family has launched a GoFundMe to help cover his medical expenses.
This story was reported on-air by Mike Beiermeister and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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