advertisement

Firefighters rally to support colleague battling cancer

Twenty-five years ago, Steve Berry responded to a call at the home of a young boy who was having a seizure.

As paramedics helped the 5-year-old boy, Berry, an Elgin firefighter at the time, took the boy's mother aside. He sat with her, calmed her down and told her everything would be OK.

Earlier this year, Berry, 62, was getting a chest X-ray during the early stages of his cancer treatment. The X-ray technician looked at him quizzically before asking, "Are you a fireman?"

Berry told the technician that he is a captain with the Marengo Fire Protection District, and prior, a firefighter, then lieutenant, with the Elgin Fire Department.

The technician then told Berry that he was the young boy who had a seizure that day 25 years ago. His mother, the technician said, never stopped mentioning Berry's name.

"That's what being a fireman is all about," Berry said. "You don't even know what little thing you do in the ambulance or at the fire scene, but people get some kind of signal from you that everything's going to be OK, and they don't forget that. That's who we are."

In his 37 years in the fire service, Berry, a Huntley resident, has made an impact on the lives of individuals throughout the Fox Valley area and beyond, said Brian Berry, Steve's son and a lieutenant with the Carpentersville Fire Department.

So when his dad was diagnosed with bile duct cancer in May, Brian Berry said, it was no surprise how many people stepped up to help.

"My dad has touched a lot of lives," Brian Berry said. "It didn't take much to rally anyone to his support."

On Thursday, fire crews from Carpentersville, Elgin and Marengo will host a benefit for Berry from 5 to 8 p.m. at Bandito Barney's, 10 N. River St., East Dundee.

For $20, attendees can enjoy food and live music by Six String Crossing, as well as a cash bar and raffle prizes. T-shirts that say "Berry Strong" will be available for $20.

All proceeds go to Berry and his family to help mitigate the cost of treatment. He is undergoing chemotherapy at Midwestern - Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Zion through October, when he hopes to go into remission and return to work.

"It really is an amazing brotherhood," Brian Berry said. "These guys just step up and show they care, and take care of one another in any hard time."

Grateful for support

Though things are looking up for Berry, the road to recovery has been an uphill battle.

He was first diagnosed in late May after going to the doctor for what he thought was the flu. He went in for a CT scan and was immediately sent to Advocate Sherman Hospital. He had blood poisoning, he said, and "was really close to not making it."

Shortly after, Berry underwent exploratory surgery, then started chemotherapy. For 10 weeks, he could hardly get out of bed, but was determined to get healthy again.

"I've really enjoyed helping people through my career," Berry said. "To be that guy that's there when somebody needs you is pretty incredible. I'm working to get back there again, and whatever it takes, I'm going to do it."

As a firefighter, Berry had been hospitalized for a fractured skull, a broken vertebrae in his neck and smoke inhalation. He responded to some really bad fires, some of which he didn't know if he would make it out.

What has always gotten him through life's challenges, both old and new, are his faith in God, the love of his wife, sons and grandchildren, and the support of his tight-knit family of firefighters, he said.

Witnessing that support, he said, is what he is most looking forward to about the fundraiser.

"It's incredible how professional all firefighters are and how much they care about what they do," Berry said. "I'm very proud that these guys have done this for me."

Craig Pleva, an Elgin lieutenant and a Marengo battalion chief, said he expects hundreds of people to attend the benefit from just the three departments, though more might make an appearance, as the event is open to the public. Brian Berry added that departments as far as Chicago have purchased "Berry Strong" T-shirts to show their support.

"That's what the brotherhood is all about," Carpentersville firefighter Tony Ferreiro said. "When people have their support group around them, that's what helps them through a tough time like this. The support for Steve is just huge, and that's what this (benefit) is going to show."

  Steve Berry of Huntley is a Marengo fire captain and a former Elgin fire lieutenant. He's with a group of his supporters at Carpentersville Fire Station 92. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.