After 30 years of fighting fires in Raleigh, Retired Lt. Raymond Harrell was honored in a big way Thursday (Jan. 18) as he endures one last fight.
Lt. Harrell is in the final stages of stage 4 pancreatic cancer, which he was diagnosed with last year. On Thursday, he was wheeled outside his home on a gurney as dozens of firefighters and first responders threw a parade in his honor.
“Raymond really was proud. He was proud to be a Raleigh firefighter,” said retired firefighter Ronny Mizell to WRAL News. “That everywhere he went, he was proud to proclaim it. Just a godly man, a good man, a wonderful heart of service.”
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Despite the fact that Lt. Harrell is in his final transition, his son says he got an “extra boost” from the outpouring of love from his neighbors and colleagues.
“He’s been kind of in and out today, but he’s so alert,” Harrell’s son, Jacolby Harrell, said. “He knows exactly what’s going on right now.”
He adds, “We have one last opportunity with my dad to tell him how much we love him, and he can feel it.”
Retired Raleigh Firefighter Battling Stage 4 Cancer Gets Parade in His Honor was originally published on foxync.com
