WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – It was two days before Thanksgiving when Alan Browning heard the word.

Cancer.

An MRI days earlier had revealed a tumor on his spinal cord, in his central nervous system. Stage Four Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He couldn’t believe it.

“(I thought) that was somebody else,” he recalled. “That wasn’t me.”

For over two decades, Browning worked as a firefighter in North Carolina, including over a decade in Oak Island, where he served as assistant fire chief. The man who used to run into burning buildings is now paralyzed. He’s lost over 100 pounds and his hair. His wife, Melinda, pushes him in his wheelchair and helps him get in and out of the car.

But the good news came last week. Tests revealed all of Alan’s tumors are gone. He’s now in remission.

Cancer-free.

“He’s a fighter,” Melinda says.

Chemotherapy at Novant’s Zimmer Cancer Institute started right before Christmas. Doctors gave Alan just a 40% chance of surviving because of how aggressive the cancer was.

“The holidays took on a whole new meaning for us,” Melinda said. “We didn’t know if it was going to be his last.”

The ensuing five months have been a rollercoaster, they said. At multiple points, doctors stopped treatment because they feared it would kill him. The psychological aspect was the hardest, Alan said. He had a hard time eating. Some days he was too tired to fight. Melinda spent hours by his side, running out of PTO and putting all their income into treatment.

But the community stepped up, helping raise over $20,000, which went toward medical bills and transportation.

It’s a battle firefighters around the country are familiar with. Cancer is now the leading cause of line-of-duty death for firefighters, according to the International Association of Firefighters. The profession also faces a 9% higher risk of getting a cancer diagnosis and a 14% higher risk of dying from cancer than the average American, according to CDC research.

The Brownings said they’re concerned Alan’s cancer may have been a result of firefighting for 24 years, and said it’s important for communities to invest in resources to keep the industry healthy.

“Be proactive,” Melinda said when asked about her message to other firefighters. “Don’t think it can’t be you, because the percentages say different.”

The next step is a stem cell transplant, which would happen in Charlotte, requiring an intense chemo blast, a 20 day inpatient stay and another month of daily check-ins. They’re hopeful there’s only more good news ahead.

Alan says there are lessons — for everyone — within his story.

“Don’t give up,” he said. “Whatever you do, don’t give up. Life is worth living. There are people that love you.”

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