The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Firefighter diagnosed with brain cancer
The family still has a long battle ahead of them and faces financial hardships.
Cyndie Culligan, with support from her 13-yearold daughter Emily, sits on the couch in her North Perry Village home, recalling the day she learned her husband of 17 years, Seamus Culligan, a Willoughby firefighter, had brain cancer.
She recalls how he suffered from headaches for a year prior, which led to his cancer diagnosis.
“S.B. 27 (The Michael Louis Palumbo Jr. Act) was signed on Jan. 24. The next morning at 9:34 a.m., I posted to my Facebook page about S.B. 27 passing for firefighters,” Cyndie recalls. “I knew he had a really bad headache when he went into work.”
Cyndie recalls calling Seamus at work right after making the post on Facebook and found out he was not feeling well. Brain cancer at this point was the one thing they were not thinking of, Cyndie said.
Shortly afterward, Seamus collapsed at work and was transported to the hospital by the firefighters from the station.
Cyndie rushed to the hospital, where the doctor informed her there was bad news.
Cyndie and Seamus were informed he had a 5- to 6-inch tumor in his head and indicative of brain cancer.
“When they told us that, I hug him and said, ‘We don’t want to know what kind it is, do we? We just want to know how to fix it. We don’t want to know percentages or survival rates or anything, do we? He said, ‘No, “Cyndie said.
They decided they didn’t want to know the percentages that make it or don’t make it.
According to Cyndie, right then and there they made up their minds he was going to be a percentage that made it and they were going to fight it as hard as they could and do everything to help him survive.
Seamus came from Ireland to America when he was 19 to study engineering. Instead, he discovered an interest in firefighting after meeting Cyndie, who at the time was an EMT. He started off as a volunteer firefighter with Thompson Township and then with Willoughby.
Seamus wanted to join Willoughby Fire Department, but was unable because he was not a U.S. citizen. Seamus applied for and gained citizenship, and joined the Willoughby Fire Department full time in 2004.
Prior to joining Willoughby full time, Seamus and Cyndie went to New York and assisted with the rescue and recovery at Ground Zero after 9/11 in 2001.
Seamus served on the county tech team, the county Hazmat team and as a fire instructor.
One week after he was diagnosed, Seamus had surgery for his cancer.
According to Cyndie, 12 firefighters were there that day.
“We were there round the clock to be there for her, to help her with whatever she needed,” said Rick Mulhern, Willoughby firefighter.
According to Cyndie, two firefighters on their days off would spend 24 hours at the hospital with her.
Surgeons removed most of the tumor, prior to him undergoing intensive proton and chemotherapy treatments. Cyndie, their parents and the Willoughby firefighters would take turns taking Seamus five days a week for six weeks to his treatments.
Seamus currently suffers from speech and motor deficits, but is working through physical to overcome that.
“We are asking everyone to bring or send boxing gloves,” Cyndie said. The boxing gloves are a symbol to the family that they are going to fight and knock out the cancer.
“He has kids, he has a tree house out back he hasn’t finished building, I love him, he came to America to pursue a career,” Cyndie said. “So, we are not finished, we have to fight as hard as we can to make this go away.”
The family still has a long battle ahead of them and faces financial hardships. Seamus is expected to undergo another round of chemotherapy.
Seamus is the first firefighter in the state of Ohio to be diagnosed with brain cancer after Gov. John Kasich signed the Michael Louis Palumbo Jr. Act into law. In fact, the diagnosis came less than a day later. It is unknown at this time if Seamus will be able to benefit from the passage of it or not, because he was diagnosed in the period between when it was signed and when it went into effect. The Northern Ohio Fire Fighters association is working with the family and attorneys to try to get him covered under the act.
Cyndie and Seamus, along with their kids, Emily, 13, Tadhg, 11, and Gavin, 8, are doing everything they can to maintain a positive attitude.
According to Cyndie, the cost of the proton therapy is $300,000.
A Gofundme page www. gofundme.com/fightforseamus has been set up to help the family cover the cost of medical expenses, and the Willoughby Fire department is selling bracelets for Seamus with proceeds also going toward medical expenses. Bracelets can be purchased at any Willoughby Fire station. They are asking a $5 donation for the bracelets, but will accept any offer.
“It’s been so much for us and so emotional for the department,” Mulhern said. “We are all taking it one day at a time with the family. We would love to see him come back.”
The Palumbo family is organizing a pub crawl for the family on Aug. 5.
The firefighters families’ organized a meal train for the family as well.