At just 25 years old, Alex Wilbur received a diagnosis he couldn’t fathom.
After a screening in February, doctors told the Lexington firefighter and paramedic he had thyroid cancer.
“That’s a pretty hard shock to hear at 25. Feeling good, completely asymptomatic, no history of thyroid issues or anything like that,” Wilbur said.
Unfortunately, Wilbur’s story is not uncommon. Federal data shows firefighters are at an elevated risk of cancer.
A study conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found firefighters were 9% more likely to be diagnosed with cancer and 14% more likely to experience a cancer-related death.
According to the International Association of Fire Fighters, cancer caused 66% of line-of-duty deaths among career firefighters between 2002 and 2019.
“It’s not wood anymore that houses are made out of, it’s plastics and all these different things that are cancer-causing substances,” said Bruce Roberts, interim director of the Kentucky Fire Commission.