'10-foot tall and bulletproof': North Collier firefighter educates others on cancer safety

Tomas Rodriguez, Naples Daily News
·9 min read
David Perez, an Engineer/Paramedic for the North Collier Fire Department stands for a portrait at the headquarters in Naples on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Since 2020, Perez has been diagnosed with two forms of cancer, multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma. The diagnoses are on the list cancers that are associated with being a firefighter according a bill that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law in 2019. He became in cancer free in Sept. 2023. He attributes his recovery with a healthy mindset, a strict exercise regime, a healthy diet and the use of a sauna along with traditional cancer treatments. He is currently not actively fighting fires, but is educating colleagues on cancer safety.

David Perez, an engineer paramedic with North Collier Fire, faces his fears, running into burning buildings and scaling tall ladders into billowing, black smoke.

Now, for about four years, he's met his most fearsome foe: cancer. Thankfully, he's not alone.

His coworkers at the North Collier Fire Control & Rescue District show support by walking, running and cycling several consecutive years in the Dolphins Challenge Cancer and symposium in Miami. This year, Perez, along with other firefighters, raised more than $2,000, according to the University of Miami, where Perez has been a patient for more than four years.

In February, the fire district recruited a team of 15 to advocate for Perez and the cause. Through the event, teams raise funds for cancer research.

According to the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce, North Collier Fire has more than 200 personnel.

Perez has been a firefighter for 17 years and is one of at least four North Collier Fire District employees who've recently beat cancer or are still in the heat of the battle, said Heather Mazurkiewicz, spokesperson for the fire district.

Mazurkiewicz said supporting cancer initiatives such as Perez's is important because it's one of the leading causes of death for firefighters.

"Getting diagnosed with cancer... It's not just a coin flip," Perez said. "There's things that we could do that can minimize the risk factors. That's one of the main things that I want to do, not just for my department, but for any firefighter."

Minimizing the risk factors can spring from nontraditional resources.

For example, they have a sauna available, which Perez says, research has shown can help remove toxins or other particles related to blazes.

Firefighters also carry a bucket with some cleaning supplies to wash off cancer-causing particles often found in fires. After they exit the billowing smoke and burning flames, they place their clothing into the bucket and disinfect it.

David Perez, an Engineer/Paramedic for the North Collier Fire Department stands for a portrait at the headquarters in Naples on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Since 2020, Perez has been diagnosed with two forms of cancer, multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma. The diagnoses are on the list cancers that are associated with being a firefighter according a bill that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law in 2019. He became in cancer free in Sept. 2023. He attributes his recovery with a healthy mindset, a strict exercise regime, a healthy diet and the use of a sauna along with traditional cancer treatments. He is currently not actively fighting fires, but is educating colleagues on cancer safety.

Battling two cancers at once

Perez was diagnosed with multiple myeloma — a form of cancer affecting white blood cells —  in January 2020 during a yearly departmental physical, followed by a September 2022 diagnosis of mantle cell lymphoma — an aggressive and rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

He's one of a handful of first responders who've been diagnosed with both forms of cancer.

Perez said he got opinions from at least three physicians leading up to his first diagnosis. All three confirmed the presence of cancer.

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He's in the care of physicians at the University of Miami's Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center — a leading institution in cancer research. Its Miami base is about 160 miles southeast of the fire district and about a two-hour, forty-minute drive.

David Perez
David Perez

Both cancers Perez has are included in a bill that passed in 2019 in Florida, which contemplates 21 different types of cancer. It passed the Florida Senate 38-0 and the Florida House 116-0. Firefighting is considered one of a few known professions to cause cancer, Perez said.

The bill was filed Jan. 22, 2019, and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis May 3, 2019 about seven months before Perez's first diagnosis.

Firefighters are more prone to developing certain types of cancer as a result of carcinogens, a substance often found in fires.

David Perez recalls revealing his diagnosis to his children

For more than three years, Perez said, he hesitated to tell his two young children he was battling cancer. He declined sharing their names and ages, wanting to protect their privacy.

But a looming medical decision changed his mind.

David Perez
David Perez

"When I got diagnosed, I didn't tell my children. I didn't tell them for three-and-a-half years," Perez said. "I told my children about three weeks or a month before my stem cell transplant because without allogeneic transplant, there's a 20% chance of mortality."

One of his biggest fears, he said, was the possibility of not seeing his children.

Perez said it took him about a year to make the decision to have the transplant done. He added that caused some frustration to his doctor.

"That was the one time where I was actually afraid," Perez said, adding he didn't know how long he'd spend at the hospital. Perez then spent about a month at the hospital, he recalled.

David Perez, an Engineer/Paramedic for the North Collier Fire Department stands for a portrait at the headquarters in Naples on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Since 2020, Perez has been diagnosed with two forms of cancer, multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma. The diagnoses are on the list cancers that are associated with being a firefighter according a bill that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law in 2019. He became in cancer free in Sept. 2023. He attributes his recovery with a healthy mindset, a strict exercise regime, a healthy diet and the use of a sauna along with traditional cancer treatments. He is currently not actively fighting fires, but is educating colleagues on cancer safety.

"When you think about the magnitude or the weight of a cancer diagnosis can have on a firefighter and specifically with David, he spent 13 years on a truck making split-second decisions that impacted somebody's life... ," Mazurkiewicz said. "And it took him a year to determine the decision that he needed to make for himself, for what was best for him and his family. I think that's what speaks volumes about a cancer diagnosis, not just for the general public, but also for firefighters."

Mazurkiewicz said hearing the three words "you have cancer" are even tough in an industry where "you have to have that mentality of, 'I'm 10-foot tall and bulletproof.'"

She explained that cancer is the top cause of death for firefighters. According to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, 68% of firefighters develop cancer. That's compared to about 39% of the general population, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Support from family, coworkers

David Perez, an Engineer/Paramedic for the North Collier Fire Department has his portrait taken at the headquarters in Naples on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Since 2020, Perez has been diagnosed with two forms of cancer, multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma. The diagnoses are on the list cancers that are associated with being a firefighter according a bill that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law in 2019. He became in cancer free in Sept. 2023. He attributes his recovery with a healthy mindset, a strict exercise regime, a healthy diet and the use of a sauna along with traditional cancer treatments. He is currently not actively fighting fires, but is educating colleagues on cancer safety.

Perez said his family and coworkers at the fire district have supported him throughout the "crazy situation" filled with "tough times."

"Support is something that I think we tend to look over sometimes," Perez said. "We all need the support system. Whether you believe in yourself or not."

A GoFundMe set up Aug. 25, 2023, by his sister Sandra Perez Lopez ahead of his August 2023 stem cell transplant raised nearly $21,000 toward a $50,000 goal.

Perez Lopez was a complete bone marrow — the soft, spongy tissue in bone cavities — match for the transplant.

Pain all around and nonstop

"The aches and pains that I had in my hands, my head, back, my neck... It was every single day nonstop," Perez explained to fellow firefighters during one of several cancer educational sessions for local firefighters last summer. "It wasn't fun. So, I had to pretty much manage it to get to work."

Perez said his journey through the physical pain has provided him with the coping skills to manage his stress.

Perez said the use of a sauna and meditating have been instrumental to his recovery.

Positive attitude is key - Mindset, nutrition, exercise and sleep

David Perez, an Engineer/Paramedic for the North Collier Fire Department stands for a portrait at the headquarters in Naples on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Since 2020, Perez has been diagnosed with two forms of cancer, multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma. The diagnoses are on the list cancers that are associated with being a firefighter according a bill that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law in 2019. He became in cancer free in Sept. 2023. He attributes his recovery with a healthy mindset, a strict exercise regime, a healthy diet and the use of a sauna along with traditional cancer treatments. He is currently not actively fighting fires, but is educating colleagues on cancer safety.

"I think that the positive attitude came from that 'M,' that mindset," Perez said, adding it's one of several pillars he relies on to move forward. The other pillars are nutrition, exercise and sleep, he said.

Perez said his hope is to implement those pillars in the fire service.

"We do have more control, more power than what we think," Perez said. Mindset "can make or break you."

Mazurkiewicz echoed Perez.

"To know that you're not alone in this fight, that there's all kinds of resources and people that want to help, I think helps with that mindset that David talked about," Mazurkiewicz said.

Saving fellow firefighters a 'calling'

"I feel like the first 12 years of my career here I did put myself on the line, my crew and I, to help others," Perez said. "And I feel like now it's my calling to help my brothers. That's one of the biggest reasons as to why I'm involved now with a lot of firefighter safety."

Part of it, Perez said, is educating veteran and recruit firefighters on ways to mitigate risks on the job.

First responders listen to a video from David Perez, a North Collier firefighter diagnosed with cancer in 2019, during a cancer prevention class hosted by the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at North Collier Fire and Rescue Station 45 in Naples on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.
First responders listen to a video from David Perez, a North Collier firefighter diagnosed with cancer in 2019, during a cancer prevention class hosted by the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at North Collier Fire and Rescue Station 45 in Naples on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.

Perez said connecting with other firefighters who are battling cancer was a "game changer."

Perez said his family had no history of cancer, which can sometimes be hereditary.

"My grandparents all died in their late 90s," Perez said. "Zero cancer. Never, ever, ever would I think I would have been put in this situation."

Good health habits become imperative, firefighter David Perez says

David Perez, an Engineer/Paramedic for the North Collier Fire Department sits for portrait in a sauna at the headquarters in Naples on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Since 2020, Perez has been diagnosed with two forms of cancer, multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma. The diagnoses are on the list cancers that are associated with being a firefighter according a bill that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law in 2019. He became in cancer free in Sept. 2023. He attributes his recovery with a healthy mindset, a strict exercise regime, a healthy diet and the use of a sauna along with traditional cancer treatments. He is currently not actively fighting fires, but is educating colleagues on cancer safety.

At the time of his stem cell transplant, Perez said he took his workout gear with him to the hospital. It included bands, a kettlebell and an exercise mat.

"I made sure that I tried to walk within a mile-and-a-half to 2 miles every single day," Perez said, explaining the hallway was 300 feet long, so that meant walking the hallway end-to-end about 33 times.

"I counted, and I walked that thing every single day. Every nurse would look at me like I'm crazy," Perez recalled. "I'd do lunges throughout [the hallways] and people didn't understand what I was doing."

Perez explained exercise has helped him physically. According to Cleveland Clinic, the release of hormones called endorphins with physical exercise can help reduce stress and anxiety.

Finding humor amid the heartache; exercise leads to laughs

Prior to his stem cell transplant, Perez said while chuckling, nurses and other staff once rushed to his hospital room fearing the worst, only to find him exercising.

"When you do inpatient chemo, these hospitals have these beds with these alarms where they don't want patients to get up on their own and walk," he explained.

First responders listen to a video from David Perez, a North Collier firefighter diagnosed with cancer in 2019, during a cancer prevention class hosted by the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at North Collier Fire and Rescue Station 45 in Naples on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.
First responders listen to a video from David Perez, a North Collier firefighter diagnosed with cancer in 2019, during a cancer prevention class hosted by the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at North Collier Fire and Rescue Station 45 in Naples on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.

"I didn't really know the alarm system there. I thought maybe they put it on at night," Perez said of his second day. "So I get up and I'm doing one-legged squats. I stood up. I have one leg on the bed, one leg on the ground."

Perez said next he knew, the door got "busted open." About 15 people doctors, nurses and others rushed to his room.

"And they see me on one leg doing the exercises and they say, 'Are you OK? Do you need help? Are you falling? Are you dizzy?'" Perez said. "I was like, 'No, I feel perfectly fine. I'm just trying to get a little workout because I've been here ... I need to do something ... I have to move.'"

After that episode, Perez said, the nurses removed the alarm.

Perez said he has continued exercising at home, which includes weightlifting and going the extra mile.

Doctors declared Perez cancer-free in September 2023.

Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Collier County firefighter shares tales of years-long cancer battle