Tag Archives: breast cancer

As much as I was saddened to learn of Frank's death, I was even more sad at the fact that he never got the chance to share that passion and his perspectives on his cancer treatments with his brother and sister firefighters. I'm sure that they would have come to know and love the man that was Lieutenant Frank Vento.

I began noticing that I had large lump in my neck, and while I wasn’t getting sick, it won’t go away. I’d noticed it about a week earlier, and now I’m going in for a check.

Over the course of the last year, I’ve attempted to provide you—the readers of this blog—with a wide variety of subjects for you consideration and thought. So here are the ten most viewed posts for 2013.

Thinking back on my 14 years with the Las Vegas Fire Department as a Firefighter/EMT-I, I realize that it was one of the most challenging, strength finding, and courageous things I’ve ever done in my life. I am a proud retiree and feel truly blessed. A good and wise friend told me, “that was another life; we all have many other lives.” I think I really understand that now and will cherish it.

Then “sticker shock” set in. When I first saw how much of a difference there was between my regular paycheck and my disability retirement check…I knew big changes were in store.

In many cases the most important component of their treatment will involve time. The time to get a diagnosis, get the proper treatment, and recover from that treatment. A caring and empathetic manager and organization can make a world of difference, especially when an illness puts an individual’s life and career in jeopardy.

This story is written from my perspective; it is simply my own experience. My breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent legal action combined for my “early exit”, so the “sudden end” was really not so sudden. I fully expected to retire just as many firefighters did before me had: 50-years-old, twenty years of service, healthy, and financially stable.