Help the Bend Firefighters Fight Cancer!

Did you know that over 1 million people in the United States are living with, or are in remission from, leukemia, lymphoma,or myeloma? Every four minutes, someone new is diagnosed with blood cancer. And sadly, every 10 minutes, someone dies from blood cancer.  Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children, adolescents and young adults under the age of 20. Lymphomas are the most common blood cancers and incidence increases with age. The survival rate for myeloma is only 41.1 percent.

On March 10, 2013, Bend firefighters will be in Seattle to compete in the annual Scott Firefighters Stair Climb challenge. This event is a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and draws firefighters from around the world to Seattle to climb 69 floors of Seattle’s tallest building, the Columbia Center. They do the climb in all of their protective gear including air tank and mask, more than 60 pounds of total gear worn as they climb the 1,311 steps.  In 2012, the event drew over 1,550 firefighters and brought in a record $1.2 million for blood-cancer research and patient services.  Bend Fire Department Captain Scott Wyman finished with the fastest time of the Bend firefighters at 13 minutes, 5 seconds (that’s 100 steps per minute!).

Know a local child battling cancer?  The Bend firefighters are searching for a local child and their family to honor in 2013 as our “Inspiration to Compete”!  Contact Team Captain Eddie Vahdat at (541) 617-0842.

We need your help!  Please visit our firefighters at our fundraising event this Saturday, Dec. 29 from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm at Whole Foods, located at 2610 E. Highway 20 in the Forum Shopping Center.  

If you can’t make it to this final event, and would like to donate to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on behalf of your Bend Fire & Rescue team, you can make a donation online by visiting  www.firefighterstairclimb.org.  Thank you for your help in the battle against blood cancers!