By FireRescue1 Staff
GOOSE CREEK, S.C. — The widow of a firefighter who died from job-related cancer is now fighting to protect future cancer diagnoses among his colleagues.
ABC News 4 reported that Goose Creek Fire Department firefighter Robby Brannon died in October 2017 after battling Stage 4 metastatic melanoma.
“He was a fireman for 25 years,” Brannon’s widow, Kayla, said. “He comes into contact with all kinds of different materials and things, house fires, car wrecks and different things like that.”
Kayla said it wasn’t until her husband’s death that she realized how prevalent firefighter cancer is.
“You know mostly with firemen you think they’re there to save their city and protect people, and make sure everybody is OK,” she said. “You don’t necessarily think of the daily risk that they encounter.”
Kayla connected with Lillian Carney, whose husband, Battalion Chief Josh Carney, also died of job-related cancer. Lillian created the Carney Strong Foundation to prevent firefighter cancer, and the foundation donated enough Responder Wipes and decontamination cleaning products to the Goose Creek Fire Department to last a year.
“It means the world to me that they are honoring him and giving something to his department so that these guys can continue to be safe,” Kayla said.
Kayla’s efforts also inspired the department to require firefighters to get full body scans in addition to their yearly physical to promote early detection.
Lillian and Kayla continue to educate the public about firefighter cancer.
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