ORLANDO, Fla. — Brian Sheppard is used to fighting battles. He is an Orlando Fire Department firefighter and has spent the last 20 years fighting fires in Central Florida.
- Brian Sheppard had the support from his fellow firefighters
- A bill to become law will help cover full cost of cancer treatment
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However, in October 2018, he found himself fighting the toughest battle of his life: Cancer.
"I went through 10 treatments of chemo, 30 treatments of radiation, and I have also had surgery to remove the second tumor," Sheppard said.
Doctors found not one, but two cancerous tumors in his body in different places.
He just finished his last surgery on April 1.
"Feeling good, still a little sore but ready to get back to things," Sheppard said.
Wayne Bernoska, third vice president of the Florida Professional Firefighters Union, says according to studies by the University of Miami, two of three firefighters will get cancer sometime in their career.
"Unfortunately with the way we build houses today, the oils that are put in all the furniture and plastics, those fumes that give off gases in these fires is something we never expected," Bernoska said.
He said the union has been fighting to get a bill that would allow firefighters to get cancer treatment under their health insurance and "not the costly workers comp system," as stated in a news release, for the last 15 years.
Before the bill passed on Wednesday, firefighters did not get time off for treatment and had to use vacation days or have others cover for them. And if they ran out of leave time they would not get paid.
"It would be a huge concern, I mean I've got three children. I've got three boys and my family depends on me to be there," Sheppard said.
However, he did not have to worry about not being paid.
His fellow firefighters stepped up to help him by covering his shifts while he was getting cancer treatments.
"It kept me from going to a no pay status. It's absolutely amazing that I'm loved so much by them to be a part of their family as well," Sheppard said.
And now thanks to Senate bill 426, every firefighter in the state will not have to worry about how to feed their family while battling cancer.
"It kind of gives me goosebumps knowing that everyone else is covered," Sheppard said.
This legislation says you can get coverage as a firefighter if you have one of 21 types of cancer, which are found more often in firefighters, including melanoma, lung cancer and breast cancer.
The bill is making its way to Gov. Ron DeSantis' desk.
However, Sheppard says he hopes one day all types of cancers will be covered.