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Firefighters rally around firefighter’s son diagnosed with cancer

Posted at 9:20 AM, Feb 13, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-13 23:45:03-05

HANOVER COUNTY, Va. -- From Florida to Maryland, first responders across the country are showing their support for a young Hanover boy by posting videos of their fire trucks and police cars with their lights on.

Caleb Lambert, 3, was diagnosed with stage 3 Neuroblastoma last week when doctors found a large tumor in his abdomen after he kept complaining of stomach pains.

Richmond firefighter Betty Migliaccio started a campaign to help Caleb feel better as he starts his cancer treatments.

Caleb Lambert

Caleb Lambert

She did not realize it would spread beyond central Virginia.

“All of a sudden people from all over the U.S. were sending in pictures of their apparatus and saying Hi to Caleb and they hope he gets better soon,” Migliaccio said.

Caleb's mom and dad have spent years serving others as a nurse and firefighter, now they are leaning on the community to help them in their son's fight.

As of Monday night, a GoFundMe page set-up to raise money for Caleb's family, has raised over $16,000 toward a $50,000 goal.

"Caleb will have to endure a blood transfusion, biopsy, and a bone marrow test followed by five or six rounds of chemotherapy before any surgery can be performed," the GoFundMe page's organizer stated. "Caleb will have to travel back and forth to the hospital every 28 days for five days of treatment."

Caleb Lambert

Caleb Lambert

President of the local firefighters union, Keith Andes, said from picking up shifts to getting food to the lamberts at the hospital everyone is chipping in to help.

“I don’t know this young three-year-old that well,” Andes added. “But he’s mine and we are going to make sure he has everything that we need to get him.”

“It’s a lot easier to help someone than to receive help,” Lt. Taylor Flowers.  “I think that’s especially true with police officers, firefighters, first responders, and nurses because that’s what everyone is used to doing.”

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