Corona Fire Battalion Chief Brandon Willson was surrounded with support Thursday, June 20.
Dozens of uniformed firefighters from Corona, Orange and fire departments throughout the region lined up outside City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center Thursday morning in Irvine to cheer on the 42-year-old classical hodgkin lymphoma survivor.
Doctors, nurses and members of Willson’s care team were also a part of the celebration.
The surprise visit was a show of support for the father of two now in remission, according to a City of Hope news release, and included a “clap in” as Willson entered the building for his last round of chemotherapy.
Willson was diagnosed in January with classical Hodgkin lymphoma, “one of the more common blood cancers occurring in adolescents and young adults,” the news release says. He’s been undergoing treatments for six months.
Corona Fire Capt. Eric Estes, a colleague and close friend of Willson, along with Willson’s wife, Amber, coordinated the gathering in Irvine, the release says.
Willson has worked for the Corona Fire Department for more than 17 years and is a former ambulance operator at the Huntington Beach Fire Department.
