Cancer-Stricken Fire Marshal Vows to Fight for Expanded Presumption Law
Tuesday, October 10, 2017 | 0
Richmond’s fire marshal, who has battled cancer for three years, said he will lobby lawmakers during the 2018 Virginia General Assembly to expand the state’s cancer presumption.
The current statute provides for workers’ compensation benefits for police, firefighters and other public safety employees who develop breast, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, rectal and throat cancers.
David Creasy, 66, told the Richmond Times Dispatch that he has paid tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket for treatment of neuroendocrine carcinoma, which is not covered under the law.
“I chose this profession. I don’t blame the profession at all,” Creasy told the newspaper. “I love what I did, and if I had to do it over again, I would do the same thing because I love the fire service. I’ve given my life to this career, and I’m not covered for what’s taking me down.”
In May 2014, Creasy was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroendocrine carcinoma when doctors found 25 tumors on his liver. He and his wife, Martha, paid $60,000 in medical bills in the first 18 months after his diagnosis but told the newspaper they have lost track of medical expenses since then.
Creasy became a Richmond-area volunteer firefighter at the age of 16 and has been fire marshal since 2008. He said he’ll formally retire at the end of this year when his leave time expires.
“We even had the discussion about when it was just too expensive to keep me alive,” Creasy told the Times Dispatch. “That’s not an easy discussion to have with your wife, with your family.”
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