FoundationAnnualReport2022

members of the SFD would gather at the hospital parking lot before his appointments in a show of encouragement and solidarity. “The first day of my treatment, we drove into the hospital parking lot and saw all the fire trucks. I couldn’t figure out what they were doing here. Then I realized they were here for me, which was so cool,” he remembers. The SFD is also selling t-shirts with a unique logo in support of Tim to provide funds for his medical expenses. People from 40 states have bought t-shirts on Tim’s behalf. Tim and his wife, Heather, will donate any of the money raised that is not needed for his expenses to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network. During his illness, Tim has relied on his close relationship with his immediate and extended family. He and his wife Heather have three children and four grandchildren (with another on the way), all of whom are a source of much comfort and encouragement. Tim’s parents, who still live in Sugar Creek, have been supportive in other ways as well. Impressed with the care Tim is receiving at Firelands, they made a substantial donation to The Foundation for Firelands Cancer Program Fund. “My dad and his brothers recently sold my grandparents’ farm, and he donated some of the money he inherited to the foundation. He said it was the right thing to do,” says Tim. Adds Alice Springer, director of development of The Foundation for Firelands, “We are so grateful for the generosity of Dr. Baxter called me at the fire station and told me to go to the hospital immediately. The CT scan revealed a mass in my abdomen, and I needed additional tests.” Those tests revealed that the 54-year-old Perkins Township resident was suffering from stage IV mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), a rare form of non- Hodgkin’s lymphoma. “It’s an incurable type of lymphoma, but I’m going to fight and beat it. I’m going to be the first person to be cured,” says Tim, with unwavering determination. Tim, whose physician is oncologist Timothy Adamowicz, DO of University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center at Firelands Regional Medical Center, has undergone extensive IV chemotherapy and is now on an oral chemotherapy regimen. Depending on the success of his current treatment, Tim can also consider CAR-T, an immunotherapy program that uses the patient’s own immune cells to fight cancer. “I’ve been fortunate regarding side effects. I do suffer a bit from fatigue, but I deal with that by working out every day. I have no symptoms of cancer. The only way I know I’m sick is because the doctors tell me I am,” laughs Tim. In addition to his faith in his physicians and the other healthcare providers at Firelands, Tim credits the incredible support he has received from his fellow firefighters in dealing with his illness. Whenever he came to Firelands for IV chemotherapy, In addition to his faith in his physicians and the other healthcare providers at Firelands, Tim credits the incredible support he has received from his fellow firefighters in dealing with his illness. 16