SCRANTON, Pa. — Hugs, grandchildren in facepaint, and a crowd pouring out of the venue and onto the sidewalk are what Lieutenant Kelly Hopkins was met with when he showed up at a fundraiser all put together for him.
"This is an overwhelming feeling. It's great medicine. I didn't even get inside yet. My understanding is there's hundreds of people in there. There's several 100 people just setting up and preparing this for today, starting yesterday," said Lt. Kelly Hopkins, battling cancer.
Hopkins, a lieutenant with the Scranton Fire Department, is battling stage 4 paraesophageal cancer and says he's feeling good, "The last medical doctor I went to last week showed my PET scan showing breaking up of my tumors, and so that's a good sign. And I started chemo back up Wednesday, and we're gonna take it from there one day at a time, but I'm feeling great, excellent."
This fundraiser at Montage Mountain was organized by members of the department, along with friends and family who say they would never let him go through this fight alone.
"I worked with Kelly Hopkins since day one; we've been together almost 40 years. We've been down at fire headquarters, he's been over to rescue one and back to fire headquarters. So we've been part of the same team and the same family for years now," said Assistant Chief Jeff White, Scranton Fire Dept.
"I learned a lot about how to make firefighting more than just a job or a career. It was more of a brotherhood, a quay life, and something that you carry in and out of the firehouse. I learned that from him," said Tim O'Connor, organizer.
What impresses them the most about their brother at the firehouse is his ability to keep in good spirits during something so challenging.
"And he also says over and over again, 'if love and support could cure him, he's cured,' so he's got a very positive outlook, and this keeps him more positive than we could ever hope for," said Asst. Chief White.
"If I was able to take half of the people that are here and put them into one of my chemo bags, I'd be cured, the love that's coming out of these people, the respect, the caring, the prayers, everything means so much to me, and it's helping me so much to stay positive and staying positive is the key, get off the feet, get moving, keep yourself occupied, do what the doctors tell you and you got it beat, keep the faith," said Lt. Hopkins.
Along with all of the positivity, there was entertainment, raffles, and shirt sales, all to support the lieutenant in Lackawanna County.
For more information on how to donate, click here.