Orlando Firefighter Juwan VanBuren has finished his final chemotherapy session and is now in remission, the Orlando Fire Department announced yesterday. The milestone follows months of treatment after a Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis last fall and closes out a grueling stretch for the father of four.
Please, join us in congratulating Orlando Firefighter Juwan VanBuren on receiving his last chemo therapy session after being diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma last fall. He is now finally in remission! Juwan has a heart of gold, he’s selfless, and a devoted first responder! pic.twitter.com/ToEnr33JtG
— Orlando Fire Dept (@OrlandoFireDept) March 10, 2026
The department shared the update in a post on X, asking followers to congratulate VanBuren and praising him as “selfless” and “a devoted first responder,” according to the Orlando Fire Department. The message confirmed that he had received his last chemotherapy treatment and encouraged well-wishes for him and his family as they step into a new chapter.
From Local Profile To Public Fight
VanBuren first drew wider local attention in 2024, when WKMG’s ClickOrlando profiled his work as a city firefighter and U.S. Coast Guard reservist, highlighting his roots in the Rosemont neighborhood. ClickOrlando reported that he was based at Fire Station 9 and that both family and duty were central to how he saw his life and career.
State Benefits And Policy Gaps
According to Florida Public Law, Florida statute 112.1816 outlines a set of cancer benefits and line-of-duty protections for qualifying firefighters, although the law includes continuous-service and other eligibility requirements that can leave some workers uncovered. Earlier coverage noted that VanBuren initially did not qualify under those rules because he had not yet met the continuous-service threshold, an issue FOX 35 Orlando reported on when his treatment began.
Colleagues And Neighbors Rallied
Members of Firehouse 9 launched a GoFundMe to help VanBuren’s family cover expenses while he underwent chemotherapy. The fundraiser shows about $28,865 raised toward a $50,000 goal as of this week and describes a neighborhood effort asking the wider community to step in for the young family while their primary provider focuses on getting through treatment.
Why This Matters
Research from NIOSH has found that firefighters face a modest increase in certain cancer diagnoses and cancer-related deaths compared with the general population, including an average 9 percent increase in diagnoses among studied firefighter groups. Those findings have fueled calls for more robust prevention, monitoring, and support programs for first responders, and they help explain why VanBuren’s story resonated so strongly across Orlando…