NC Chief Runs Marathon to Honor Terminally Ill Firefighter
Source Firehouse.com News
Asheville Fire Department Division Chief Joy Ponder has run a fair share of marathons, but the one she tackled this past weekend held special significance.
After surviving a recent bout with breast cancer, Ponder took on the Black Mountain Marathon on Saturday in honor of fellow Asheville firefighter Will Willis, who was told before Thanksgiving that he had between three and six months to live in his struggle against kidney cancer.
It was quite a feat for the 46-year-old Ponder, who is still recovering from chemo and radiation treatments that ended in November but managed to finish in about seven hours on a race course that heads straight uphill for the first 13.1 miles.
"Finishing a marathon is symbolic of 'anything is possible,' and that is what we need to remember about Will," the 46-year-old Ponder said in an official release from the city. "He is one of the best firefighters we have and a wonderful person so we all need to pull together and help him and his family. Cancer brought me to my knees with surgeries, chemo, and radiation but I'm thankful for my growing strength, this day, and my small steps up this mountain to bring awareness to everyone about Will’s ongoing battle.”And her biggest supporter—Willis—was there at the finish line waiting for her, managing to stand from his wheelchair as she crossed despite the toll cancer has taken on his body.
When asked how he felt about Ponder's show of support, the 33-year-old firefighter answered with a bible verse: "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."
Ponder has asked for donations of $26, or $1 for every mile she ran, to be sent to Willis' GoFundMe page.
"When members of the community call 9-1-1 it is often the worst day of their lives. Firefighters respond every time to help," Ponder said. "Now cancer has become the number one killer of firefighters and it is our worst day. We need the members of the community to pull together and help Will fight this battle with cancer."