A Malverne
volunteer firefighter is in need of help after being given a rare cancer
diagnosis.
Brian Saphire,
33, has stage 4 glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer seen in only 81 adults
every year.
He grew up in
Lindenhurst with five siblings who are now getting him through the news.
"It was
heartbreaking," his brother, Kevin Saphire says. "He's a strong guy,
he's a fighter, his mind is in the right place right now. He's going to fight
this like a champ."
Despite the
cancer diagnosis, his peers at the Malverne Fire Department say he still wants
to help out.
Brian Saphire is
no stranger to helping out. He was a Lindenhurst volunteer firefighter for 14
years until he joined the Malverne department.
His peers say he
is the type of guy who always helps others whether its’ at the firehouse
or getting up in the middle of night to make soup and chili for displaced
families after Superstorm Sandy.
"He helps
out, he doesn't shy away from lending a hand to anyone," says Malverne
Fire Department Chief Ernest Bohringer. "It's our turn to lend him a
hand."
Brian Saphire
lost his job as a stagehand during the pandemic and is now living with his
mother-in-law in Malverne. A GoFundMe page
has been set up to help him and his family with expenses.
"My daughter
and my wife, I gotta be around for them and I'm not going to give up,"
Brian Saphire says. "I'm going the whole nine yards if I have to."
He has a long
journey ahead of him, but fellow firefighters say they are keeping his
equipment where it is for when he returns.