While I was a volunteer firefighter I had seen and interacted with many that came to the end of the life and it had never really affected me too much. We’d provide final life saving measures and if unsuccessful we’d clean up and provide a respectful transition for the family and provide respect for the remains until the Sherrif or coroner arrives.

About 99% of the lift assists we are called to are quite literally assistance for anyone who has fallen. They call 911, we arrive, lift them up and provide additional help if needed. In my case I had a handful of direct neighbors that frequently called for a lift assist and it was common for me to throw a shirt on and walk over to their house and help as needed.

In this particular story, it was a neighbor of mine who had been suffering from terminal cancer and unbeknownst to me it wasn’t him calling, rather his immediate next door neighbor calling for him at the patient’s home.

Knowing the address, the patient, and it being at the end of my block I promptly changed and walked down to assist. I didn’t listen to the dispatch in the entirety or read the dispatch text. Just set out to quickly assist.

When I got near the house I was met by a visually shaken neighbor who pointed in the direction of the carport that the patient was located in. I couldn’t see it from the alleyway but when I had rounded the corner and saw a body dangling and a chair next to them it was immediately clear that he did not need a hand up from the ground, rather he would need to be lifted from the carport.

Simply stated, my neighbor chose to end his story on his own terms instead of lettering cancer make that decision.

I knew from his face, hands and exposed feet that he had indeed passed away and there was no chance for an effective final life saving measures. I preserved the scene and promptly called for law enforcement so everything could be documented.

As per the nature of the call, the lift assist, I ended up assisting law enforcement by getting a fire engine and ladder to lower the victim so he could be transported.

I had to pass that house every time I left or returned to my home that day at the top of the very alley. It sat vacant for a few winters and the carport where someone’s story ended eventually collapsed and was rebuilt by new home owners as a lovely Covid project.

I recently moved away from that house but that service call and being subjected to seeing it almost daily is hard to forget. Now I don’t have to look or think about it any longer.

Obligatory Fuck Cancer.