Atlanta firefighter diagnosed with rare eye cancer

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data suggests there’s an increased risk of firefighters developing cancer. An Atlanta firefighter is facing her toughest battle yet after being unexpectedly diagnosed with a rare form of the disease last month. 

Lt. Erin McMillion told FOX 5 she and her wife were stunned by the non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis she received last month because she has always been a healthy person. While she is now fighting for her health, she said she is grateful she is not in the fight alone. 

"There hasn’t been a day since I’ve been going through this that I haven’t heard from one of my brothers or sisters from the fire department," she said in an interview on Easter Sunday. 

For McMillion, who over the last 14 years has worked as a paramedic and firefighter with Atlanta Fire Rescue, the desire to serve others has always been second nature. 

"You just get a lot more fulfillment knowing you made an impact on a lot of people’s lives where it could be the worst day of their life," she said. 

However, she told FOX 5 in the weeks since her diagnosis, she’s now on a path to learning the value of seeking help and paying attention to her health. 

"For people who are used to helping others or not used to being the patient…you’re not using your community to its fullest if you’re not allowing people to help you like you help others," she stated. 

McMillion’s diagnosis stemmed from what she and her wife Kori said they thought was a minor eye issue in early February. 

"They were like we see something, they said it was a lesion and we were working with neurology," Kori McMillion told FOX 5. 

After several MRIs, lab tests, and brain biopsy doctors said a lesion behind Erin’s left eye was cancerous. 

"Your first thought is...'Am I going to get to see my kids grow up?'" Erin stated. 

Their 4-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter serve as motivators in Erin’s fight to get through six rounds of chemotherapy. 

"We sort of had our initial crying and deep breaths and then it was like okay what do we need to do to start to fight this and get through it?" her wife Kori recalled. 

Expecting to be out of work for the next 4 to 6 months, the couple aims to raise $10,000 to help cover medical bills, childcare costs, and other expenses.