LEXINGTON, Ky. — Last Tuesday he fought two fires, now firefighter Matt Logsdon is battling stage 4 cancer — and fellow firefighters are rallying around one of their own.
LEX18.com reported that firefighter Logsdon, a 10-year veteran with the Lexington Fire Department, was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in his liver, lungs and bone. Logsdon had no idea he was sick until his fellow firefighters mentioned he looked ill last week.
“It was really surprising, none of us expected anything like that,” Captain Dustin Whited said. “Right now, it’s not a line of duty injury. It’s because of the job, but it’s not recognized by the job.”
Kentucky laws don’t currently recognize cancer as a line of duty injury. Senate Bill 138 could change that in the future, but right now firefighters are left paying the price.
Fellow firefighters created a GoFundMe page to help with medical bills and asked that others wear red on Friday for Firefighter Appreciation Day.
“He’s done his part. So hopefully the community that he has protected for the last decade will come together, and maybe help him out a little bit,” Capt. Whited said.