Dozens of North Texans and their families took part in a 4-day walk recently to support firefighters battling cancer. The 140-mile trek, called Walk for the Red 140, took participants from Celina to Plano over the course of three days, from March 10 to March 13.
Firefighter Joseph Warne, who is from Celina but currently lives in Michigan, created Walk for the Red 140 and brought it to North Texas after his former Celina captain died of cancer.
“It’s not just lung cancer,” Warne told WFAA. “It’s thyroid cancer, brain cancer, it’s all kinds. It’s a big problem, and we’re doing everything we can to prevent it, but it’s a losing battle right now.”
The 140-mile walk brings in donations and raises awareness for legislative and local change to support firefighters, as the leading cause of death among these first responders is cancer.
While Warne said the distance sounds like a lot, he added, “if you start to think about what these [firefighters] are going through and what they are battling, it’s really nothing.”
Many firefighters attended the walk in full gear, Fox 4 News reported. Retired Mansfield firefighter Eric Peterson said his son Brandon followed in his footsteps to become a fireman, but recently died of lung cancer.
“He didn’t deserve this,” Peterson told Fox. “It should’ve been me.”
Brandon worked for the Lancaster Fire Department and was diagnosed in November 2019. He died a year later at 31 years old.
“Married… two kids, 3 and 6 years old,” Peterson said. “It’s all about them now.”
The North Texas walk raised money for eleven families of Texas firefighters who are currently battling or have died of cancer.
Plano firefighter Jarrett Beshears was among those that led the walk.
“I just want to make sure everybody out there knows this is a big deal,” Beshears told WFAA. “We’re 17% more likely to get cancer than any other occupation.”
Beshears said he walked to honor his friend and late coworker, Gerald Don Becker. The walk took place on the second anniversary of Becker’s death.
Becker spent 37 years with Plano Fire-Rescue before he passed away of melanoma in March 2020. He was the first cancer-related line-of-duty death for Plano. Becker’s family is one of those that benefited from the fundraiser.
“It’s such a horrible disease,” Becker’s wife Marian told WFAA. “It’s horrible to watch someone that you love so much just deteriorate in front of your eyes.”
“Nobody should go through what he and others have gone through,” she said. “It’s a terrible thing.”
She added that she is thankful for the continued support from other firefighters.
“Don always tried to tell me that [I’m] part of the family now. And he said it’s a brotherhood, and he said they’ll always be there for you,” Marian added.
The Becker family joined the final 20 miles of Walk for the Red 140, Fox reported.
Peterson told Fox, “Cancer awareness has got to be better for our firefighters all through the country and everywhere.”
