After battling cancer the past two months, a 26-year veteran of the Smyrna fire department said he needed a boost. He was asked to stop by and visit his co-workers Friday morning. When he got there, he couldn't believe what he saw.
"I was going to go in and spend a few minutes with them and brighten my spirits," Richard Conley of Woodstock said.
When he arrived to greet his fellow firefighters, he was greeted by dozens of his co-workers. And their bald heads.
Conley said he wiped away tears as he entered the building. Even Chief Jason Lanyon was getting a clean shave. Conley's son, a Cherokee County firefighter, was also there. His head was also shaved.
"I knew I had friends, but they've been behind me since day one," Conley said Friday afternoon.
Conley said he's recently finished chemotherapy and radiation to treat a tumor at the base of his tongue, but it will be a few more weeks before doctors will know if the treatment was a success.
"I hope this is the end of it," Conley said.
Conley said he's referred to the tumor as Ivan the Terrible during his ordeal. He's unable to swallow and relies on a feeding tube for nourishment. But he's hoping he'll soon be back driving his firetruck, a job he says he loves.
"I work one day on and two days off, so we live together for 24 hours," he says. "Those are my friends."
About the Author
The Latest
Featured
