Child Walks Into Firehouse And Leaves Fireman With An Emotional Memory

Being a firefighter is a calling Jim’s father and uncle also pursued — and is something deeply important to Jim. “A calling that I don’t take lightly at all,” he added. Even with two firefighters in the family, Jim wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life after high school.

It wasn’t until Jim was 21 and in his senior year of college at Oswego State that he discovered his passion for firefighting. “I read a book about firefighters in the early '70s South Bronx, which happened to be a really tough time period,” Jim said.

“The stories and perspectives from that book pushed me to become what I am today." The novel that spoke to Jim was Dennis Smith’s Report from Engine Co. 82. It carried him through his first job with Ladder 13 in Yorkville, Illinois, in 1995.

Now, he works in the Upper East Side of New York. Across his 25-year career, Jim has worked tirelessly to achieve the rank of captain. For Jim, ascending is “Difficult, yet rewarding. I’ve always wanted to challenge myself my whole career.” Though these accolades are impressive, they aren’t the most important part of firefighting for Jim.

The most rewarding part of the job, according to Jim, is when he gets to save lives. But what Jim didn't realize was how much he inspires people as well. He learned just how inspiring he is when he met three-year-old Trucker Dukes. Trucker and the rest of his family live in Maui, Hawaii.

When he was only 18 months old, Trucker was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma. This type of cancer mainly affects children five years old or younger, especially those under two. Trucker and his mom made regular trips to New York City for his treatments. Trucker had to fight for his life since before he could talk.

Neuroblastoma forms when neuroblasts, a type of immature nerve cell, develop tumors. Instead of growing into a mature nerve cell, the neuroblasts are instead turned into cancer. With only 700 cases per year, it’s still a rare disease. Unfortunately, Trucker was one of the infants to receive the scary diagnosis.

Even with a difficult illness, Trucker kept up with his obsession with the fire department. And before he had cancer, "we were at my husband’s fire station every Sunday," Trucker’s mom, Shauna, said. "I think [Trucker] was just born a firefighter." With such a love of firefighting, Trucker was excited with New York’s fire department.

Shauna explained how Trucker always thought the New York firetrucks were blaring their horns for his enjoyment. “Every fire truck, he thought it was for him,” Shauna said. "He would hear a siren, and his jaw would drop.” Trucker was especially excited when firetrucks were outside of his building.

Jim and his team of firefighters were called to deal with a kitchen fire when suddenly, Trucker appeared on the scene. “I see this little boy excitedly walking towards me with his eyes aglow. I opened my arms and he basically climbed up and hugged me around the neck,” Jim said.

“It was as if we've been friends/brothers for years,” Jim recalled. After the crew extinguished the flames, Jim invited Trucker and Shauna for a tour of the firehouse. This is where their bond was solidified. The firefighters let Trucker sit inside their truck. They were so in awe of the brave toddler that they had more surprises in store.

The firefighters "brought us meals at the hospital, they’ve given us rides in the firetrucks, they’ve hosted us for holidays…they’ve been amazing," Shauna said. “We have these people that are now like our family that we wouldn’t have met otherwise.” The fire department also threw Trucker a special party.

In April 2016, Trucker turned three. Jim and the rest of the firefighters from FDNY Engine 22, Ladder 13, Battalion 10 wanted to help him celebrate in style. Trucker and Shauna were spending a lot of time away from the rest of their family, which included Trucker's dad, Joshua, and three siblings.  

To make up for being away from his family, the firefighters threw Trucker a birthday party at the fire station. All of their kindness made Trucker even more excited when he saw firetrucks driving in the city. “Every time we see a fire truck, he goes, ‘Yeah, boys!’” Shauna said. Trucker's bond with the city's firefighters only grew.

Besides Jim’s department, there are two other firehouses familiar with Trucker and Shauna. The crews “have standby mac and cheese in their lockers,” Shauna said. New York Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro eventually heard about the firefighter-obsessed toddler and wanted to celebrate Trucker’s love for their work.

In a special ceremony on May 31, 2016, Daniel swore in Trucker as a "Junior Firefighter." Trucker earned this high honor at the FDNY’s Brooklyn office in front of a crowd of people who loved and supported the little boy who wanted to be a firefighter.

While Trucker was showered with kindness from a group of FDNY firefighters, he bravely fought stage 4 neuroblastoma. But not even hugs from his favorite firefighters could make the cancer go away. In early March of 2017, his mother shared a heartbreaking update on his condition.

According to Shauna, Trucker succumbed to his illness on March 3, 2017. "We are so sad and miss him terribly already," Shauna said. The news came as a blow to everyone Trucker knew, from his close friends and family to the firefighters back in New York City.

"Trucker’s passing has been the hardest experience you can imagine," Shauna said. The Dukes wanted Trucker’s funeral to be as memorable and bright as the boy himself. That meant firefighting had to be prominently featured. A part of this was using a firetruck to drive Trucker to the mortuary.

Twenty-three of the FDNY firefighters Trucker and Shauna befriended flew all the way to Maui to attend Trucker’s funeral in person. They arrived to watch the “Little Hawaiian Warrior Legend,” as his headstone read, be laid to rest. Alongside this title is a picture of Trucker wearing his firefighting uniform.

Even though Trucker is gone, the Dukes are ensuring his memory lives on. "We love you little warrior,” Shauna wrote on Trucker’s Facebook page. The Dukes know how blessed they were to have so much support — not every family is so lucky.

The Johnson family was a happy one. They lived out a peaceful existence in Poth, Texas, where dad, Alan, and mom, Jamie, worked hard to provide a good childhood for their kids Newt, Jasper, and Maggie. Maggie, the youngest, was in fifth grade.

She attended Poth Elementary while Jasper went to Poth Junior High. Newt, the oldest at 16, was a student at Poth High School. Soon, however, the children's education became complicated by something completely out of their control.

On an ordinary day in October, Maggie became very ill, complaining of debilitating cramps and crippling nausea. Incredibly alarmed and confused, her parents rushed with her to the local children's hospital.

Once the family arrived, they learned the awful truth about their cherished daughter's condition: It was worse than any of them ever could have imagined — and it seemed like just the day before, she was completely fine...

In reality, Maggie was not completely fine. The doctors broke the tragic news to the Johnsons: their little girl had kidney failure. Something wasn't right, though...the girl had been young, active, and seemingly healthy. It just wasn't adding up.

Then the second bombshell was revealed. Maggie's kidney failure was a result of Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis, a rare autoimmune disease. No one had had any idea until that fateful day at the Santa Rosa Children's Hospital.

This disease inflames the blood vessels in the nose, sinuses, throat, lungs, and kidneys. It's extremely uncommon as well as incredibly dangerous. A lack of treatment could spell out death for a patient.

The symptoms of the illness are varied but may include prolonged sinus infections, nosebleeds, numbness, and joint pain. And the side effects from her treatments weren't much better. With chemo and dialysis, Maggie wasn't looking forward to one particular reaction.

Granulomatosis also causes hair to fall out. Maggie, who had always cherished her bright red locks, was totally devastated. Her life was already going to change in so many ways, and now she wouldn't even look like herself.

Suddenly, in the midst of all the despair, her 16-year-old brother Newt remembered something. He recalled how Maggie had always complimented him on his flowing locks. In that moment he knew exactly what he had to do.

The teen decided to grow his hair out for his baby sister. He felt compelled to do anything in his power to help her on the long and trying journey she had ahead. It was the least he could do.

“It made me feel good that I could do something for her,” Newt said. He loved his sister, and seeing her in pain hurt him more than anything else. However there was one obstacle that would conflict majorly with his heartwarming plan.

In order to grow the proper amount of hair necessary if Maggie were to need a wig, he'd need between eight and fourteen inches. The issue was that this violated the rules laid out in his school's handbook...

See, Poth High School had very strict rules regarding the length of boys' hair, stipulating that it “shall not extend beyond the ear opening on the sides nor beyond the top of a dress shirt collar in the back."

"Hair may not extend over the top of the eyebrow, hang over the face and eyes or be distracting to others or self," the guidelines continued. Newt was not typically a rule-breaker, but in this instance, he felt he had to make an exception.

So, as the weeks went by and his hair began to grow longer and longer, school officials did not take this infraction lightly. Eventually they gave him an ultimatum: cut it, or he wouldn't be permitted to return to school.

“It really stressed me out because I already worried about my sister,” the addled teen remarked. The school was making an already incredibly difficult situation even worse, by complicating the one way that Newt knew he could help Maggie.

The deadline that Poth High School had given Newt came and went. One day he got to class and received an unwelcome surprise. His hair was in violation of the dress code; school officials called his mom, and she was forced to pick the teen up.

However, no matter what the school said, Newt wasn't going to stop his efforts to help his sister. He was forced to make a dramatic decision: the 16 year-old opted to be home-schooled.

It wasn't how Newt had envisioned his high school career going, but at that point, nothing else mattered. “I don’t understand why he has to get in trouble for doing this for me,” Maggie woefully remarked.

The school has issued a response, but not a very convincing one. “It was never about not supporting a sick child,” insisted Paula, the district's superintendent. She went on to emphasize the $3,000 raised by the district in support of the struggling family.

However no amount of money can replace the priceless gift that Newt was giving his sister. Not only would she have a wig in the event that all her hair did fall out, but she knew for certain just how far her brother's love extended.

“Listen to your kids,” the children's father, Alan, said. “If they really believe in something, even if it does go against the rules, sometimes you just have to dig deep... It’s worth it.” It was worth it for Newt and Maggie, and their battle with the school board inspired others to stand up for what they believe in.