San Francisco firefighters fear the “Cancer Sniper.” It’s how they refer to the deadly disease that struck down many of their comrades.
“You kind of expect, in the back of your mind, to get hit,” said fire department Battalion Chief Matthew Alba. “I didn’t expect to get hit at such an early age, but I did.”
Alba was just 43 when doctors discovered he had a cancerous brain tumor, and two years later, he’s still living with the disease.
This morning, the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation sponsored a department-wide event to screen members for signs of cancer. The event was spurred by a chronic problem for the San Francisco Fire Department, along with departments across the country: Their members keep getting the deadly disease.