“The days of coming back from a fire covered with soot and grime and not cleaning yourself and gear are gone.”
—Chris Macias, Arlington, TX, Fire Department
Apparatus Operator Chris Macias has been with the Arlington Fire Department in Arlington, TX, for 20 years and has been in the fire service for 23 years. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2013. He has been cancer-free for six years.
How did you learn you had cancer?
I had noticed my testicle getting larger over the last months leading into the holidays and knew something was not right. At first, I ignored it thinking the symptoms would subside, but deep down inside I knew something was not right and I had to get it looked at. I scheduled an appointment at the beginning of the year and the look on my doctor’s face when he examined me pretty much told me what I knew all along. He mentioned that we wouldn’t know for sure until further tests were performed but we both knew better.
Did you immediately link your diagnosis to your work in the fire service?
When I was first diagnosed with cancer, I didn’t immediately link it to my work. To be honest with you, the only thing on my mind at the time was trying to figure out the plan of action for getting this out of me and trying to determine just how far along I was with this disease. I had a wife and two young kids at home and I couldn’t believe this was actually happening to me…I was scared. I was given dates for the procedures that were to follow and realized the time periods between them were agonizingly long and spread out. It seemed everything was “in two weeks,” which feels like an eternity when you have cancer inside you. I filled the time researching this disease, the treatments and causes. That is when I discovered the high rates of testicular cancer in the fire service and put two and two together.
How has cancer affected your life both on and off the job?
Cancer has affected my home life in that I try not to take things for granted anymore. I try to let the “little things” slide by the wayside and always make sure to kiss my wife and kids and tell them that I love them each day.
It also keeps me on edge with the thought that even though I am now cancer-free, there’s always the possibility of the damn thing creeping back into my life again and that is a hard thought to shake…it occasionally keeps you up at night. On the job I try to educate anybody who will listen to me about the dangers of cancer in our occupation and try to instill in the new kids safer, cleaner ways of doing the job.
Is there anything you would like your fellow firefighters to know about facing cancer?
If there’s anything I would like firefighters to know about facing cancer it’s that you are surrounded by a huge family of brother and sister firefighters who are there to offer support and assist you with anything you may need—don’t be too proud to ask for their help.
Adding to that support, city governments and fire administrators are now recognizing the cancer dangers we as firefighters face in our careers. This means more help on the medical cost side and firefighters are not having to fight and prove the cancer was caused by the job when they are at the most vulnerable and scary point in their lives.
What’s the biggest piece of advice you could give to readers?
Much has changed in the last six years since I was first diagnosed. The biggest piece of advice I have for firefighters on the job is be open to change. Old traditions are great but not when they needlessly put your life at risk. The days of coming back from a fire covered with soot and grime and not cleaning yourself and gear are gone.
When I first hired on, if your gear and helmet weren’t dirty, that meant you weren’t working hard enough. It’s funny how that kind of bravado doesn’t mean a hill of beans when you’re lying on a radiation table getting zapped and asking yourself, “How the hell did I get here?” Trust me, I know.
Watch Chris' video interview at tinyurl.com/cancer-awareness-2019. Thank you to Glen Ellman for his help with the video interview.
