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.