Wantagh Fire Department (NY) Engine Company 2 Lieutenant Mike Fratello noticed a post on Facebook and instantly used his heart. Katie McCurdy posted on Facebook that her husband, Isaac, a professional firefighter from North Carolina, came down to Indiana for FDIC. He was planning on a trip that all firemen love going on, when he then had to go to a cancer center for his treatment for reoccurring testicular cancer. Isaac wasn’t able to attend FDIC because he was stuck in the hospital. Katie’s Facebook post attracted volunteer firefighters from The East Farmingdale Fire Company, and The Wantagh Fire Department, on Long Island, by the help of Lieutenant Fratello putting the word out and setting it up. She wanted to get him shirts from the event. Just shirts. But with the help of Lieutenant Fratello they not only acquired shirts and a bunch of other accessories from FDIC, but they raised over $18,000 in Firefighter Isaac McCurdy’s Cancer fund.
“It’s the little things in life that make all the difference. It’s important that when given a platform, you use it for good because just a few lines of text could change the lives of others tremendously. Isaac is a Statesville (NC) firefighter suffering from testicular cancer who wanted to attend FDIC. His cancer acted up and he couldn’t make it to the conference; instead, he is stuck in the hospital for another two month stint. The boys in Indy immediately dropped what they were doing to get to the hospital and brighten up his day. A well-known fire service group spread the GoFundMe which just broke $5,000 in October 2020. In one day we have boosted it to well over $18,000 and have had a huge impact on the lives of the McCurdy family. Thank you all, especially my boys from the Wantagh Fire Department, the East Farmingdale Fire Department, and John Clementine.” – LT. Mike Fratello
CREDIT: TNT FIRE PHOTOGRAPHY
