Oak Lawn Project Fire Buddies Give Boost To Boy Battling Leukemia

OAK LAWN, IL — A 6-year-old boy got a surprise visit from the Oak Lawn Fire Department’s Project Fire Buddies this week when a parade of fire trucks and Star Wars characters dropped off a pile of Christmas presents.

Project Fire Buddies started in 2016, when members of the Oak Forest Fire Department received a call to transfer a young child battling cancer to the hospital for life-saving treatment. The experience so touched the firefighters’ hearts, that they wanted to do more for children dealing with serious illnesses. The program has since expanded to other neighboring fire departments who are forming their own Project Fire Buddies chapters.

AJ (his parents asked that their last name not be used) has been undergoing chemo treatments for leukemia for the past 18 months. It hasn’t been easy for AJ or his parents, Jen and Ace.

“It’s a lot for a little guy to take,” his mother said.

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AJ was diagnosed with leukemia in 2019 and has nine months to go with his treatment. Jen found out that members of the Oak Lawn Professional Firefighters Union were looking for their first fire buddy.

“They posted on their Facebook page that were doing mailboxes to Santa,” Jen said. “When I saw they were looking for their first fire buddy, I sent a message, and it took off like wildfire.”

AJ is undergoing treatment at Advocate Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn.

“It has been a very long haul,” Jen said. “He’s been sick from the chemo and not handling it well.”

The Oak Lawn firefighters met their buddy for the first time on Tuesday, when they rolled up to his house on a fire truck with enough presents for Santa’s sleigh.

“AJ is a very brave 6-year-old boy,” the firefighters union posted on Facebook. “With some help from our friends at the 501st Midwest Garrison and the incredibly generous donors, they were able to put on the coolest Fire Department and Star Wars parade … A special thanks to Mike and Kendall Coyne Schofield of the Schofield Family Foundation for donating most of today's gifts.”

AJ and his 3-year-old brother, Gus, were totally surprised when the fire trucks turned down their street with the sirens blaring. The boys started tearing open the presents on the driveway. A grateful Jen compared the Project Fire Buddies’ visit to her wedding day.

“It went by really fast in a fun blur,” she said. “At the end of the day they were left with a pile of presents and smiles on their faces — exactly like our wedding day.”

This is the second Christmas that AJ and his family will be spending in quarantine. Even before the pandemic, Jen and Ace kept their son in a bubble at the start of his illness. The family has not seen their extended family members in person for over a year.

Jen and her husband have held off doing the big fun things with other organizations, but something about Project Fire Buddies felt right because it was local and in the neighborhood.

“At the end of treatment all that stuff ends, and it can be confusing to kids,” Jen said. “But I had a special feeling with the Oak Lawn Fire Department. They exceeded my expectations.”

Part of Project Fire Buddies’ mission is to stick with their buddies, offering encouragement and fun to take their minds off chemo and surgeries. The Oak Lawn Professional Firefighters Local 3405 look forward to creating more great memories with AJ and his family in the future.

“This was a nice way to close the lid on this dumpster fire of a year,” Jen said.

~ Oak Lawn Fire Buddies awesome car parade for AJ