GRAND RAPIDS -
It's the words no parent ever wants to hear about their child "they have cancer". But for the past 2 years, that has been the reality for the family of a local firefighter.
Dave Pyle works for the Grand Rapids Fire Department. His daughter, Allison, was three years old when she was diagnosed with both lung and kidney cancer. She's been in and out of the hospital for the past two years, undergoing chemotherapy and losing one of her kidneys. At one point, her parents were told she only had months to live.
G.R. Firefighter Julian Arizola says the department is like family, so when they heard the news about Allison, it hit them hard. "We're a family. I mean we take it literally when we say we're brothers and sisters. And that extends to the children of our brothers and sisters," Julian told FOX 17 News. Then, they heard of Allison'd dream: to swim with dolphins.
It is a dream that Grand Rapids firefighters are trying to make a reality. The men and women of the GRFD are holding fundraisers to come up with enough money to send Allison and her family to Discovery Cove in Florida, where her dream can come true. Dozens of friends filled 25 Kitchen and Bar in Grand Rapids tonight to raise money for the family. "This has been something that has brought us back together. Kinda gave us a focus on something that's a little higher than your own self needs," Julian says. "Little Allison, she just, she makes us all look like wimps. We're nothing you know. We're just firemen. She's the hero, she's the tough guy."
A second fundraiser is planned for Sunday from 1-5 p.m. at Northern Trails Bar and Grill in Newaygo. If you would like to help Allison's family, you can make donations at any Grand Rapids Fire Station or Fifth-Third Bank in her name.
Dave Pyle works for the Grand Rapids Fire Department. His daughter, Allison, was three years old when she was diagnosed with both lung and kidney cancer. She's been in and out of the hospital for the past two years, undergoing chemotherapy and losing one of her kidneys. At one point, her parents were told she only had months to live.
G.R. Firefighter Julian Arizola says the department is like family, so when they heard the news about Allison, it hit them hard. "We're a family. I mean we take it literally when we say we're brothers and sisters. And that extends to the children of our brothers and sisters," Julian told FOX 17 News. Then, they heard of Allison'd dream: to swim with dolphins.
It is a dream that Grand Rapids firefighters are trying to make a reality. The men and women of the GRFD are holding fundraisers to come up with enough money to send Allison and her family to Discovery Cove in Florida, where her dream can come true. Dozens of friends filled 25 Kitchen and Bar in Grand Rapids tonight to raise money for the family. "This has been something that has brought us back together. Kinda gave us a focus on something that's a little higher than your own self needs," Julian says. "Little Allison, she just, she makes us all look like wimps. We're nothing you know. We're just firemen. She's the hero, she's the tough guy."
A second fundraiser is planned for Sunday from 1-5 p.m. at Northern Trails Bar and Grill in Newaygo. If you would like to help Allison's family, you can make donations at any Grand Rapids Fire Station or Fifth-Third Bank in her name.
