Firefighters Buy Freezer So Cancer Survivor Can Store Breast Milk

ACWORTH, GA — An act of kindness undertaken by Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services will ensure a mother and cancer survivor will be able to store breast milk needed to feed her newborn. The agency donated the freezer upon learning of the woman's plight when it received a phone call from a Texas-based nonprofit organization.

Kyle Joy, director of Third Strand Foundation, informed CCFES that it was shipping 10 gallons of breast milk to the woman who lives in the Acworth area of Cherokee County. Third Strand is a nonprofit organization that provides safe, donor breast milk to babies who have lost a mother or whose mother can't breastfeed due to illnesses such as cancer.

However, Joy, who's also a captain with the Amarillo, Texas, Fire Department, said the woman didn't have a freezer to store this necessary nutrient for her baby. Cherokee County fire didn't hesitate when it was asked to help make this mission possible, as agency spokesperson Tim Cavender began making calls to see if an appropriate freezer could be located.

Cavender reached out to Lowe's Home Improvement in Canton, which said it would sell the freezer to the local fire department. The public information officer began soliciting donations from co-workers and within a few hours, enough cash was raised to buy the appliance.

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Cavender, along with Cherokee firefighters Lt. Danny Carder and Sgt. Chris Martin, made arrangements to deliver the freezer Oct. 30 to the home of Stacie Fulcher, who had to undergo a double mastectomy following her breast cancer diagnosis two years ago. Fulcher is now cancer free.

In another twist to this already-touching story, Fulcher's husband, Jeff, informed CCFES that his wife had gone into labor and had been transported to the hospital. Fortunately, the woman's father-in-law and her four-year-old son were home, so firefighters were able to deliver the freezer.

The freezer was installed Tuesday afternoon at the southwest Cherokee County home in time for the breast milk's arrival, which is expected to show up sometime on Wednesday. You can learn more about Third Strand by visiting its website.

Images via Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services