Lieutenant Preston Williams, a devoted father of five, passed away after losing his battle to cancer today.
With D.C. Fire for 25 years, the department is at a loss.
"We lost a champion in our fight against cancer," the D.C. Fire Fighters Association, Local 36 station, said on Twitter. "He fought the good fight for all of us. RIP Lt. Preston Williams." Two years ago, our ABC7 reporter Jennifer Donelan spent time with Preston as he prepared to complete a milestone: to run in the Marine Corps Marathon.
"My stomach is in knots," he told Donelan the day he registered for the race, on Oct. 25, 2013. "It's been a long journey. Five years of fighting the cancer, now I am on chemo." Williams was only 40 years old when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
He told us back then, "It's scary, and I would rather be fighting a fire than running a marathon."
Though he was battling prostate cancer for his third time, running in the Marine Corps. Marathon back then wasn't for him as much as it was for others.
"A lot of guys are worse than me. I am not doing this for myself," he told us.
Williams has never been alone during this fight. He has had his family and the love from his department the entire time.