The Homewood Fire Department partnered with Project Fire Buddies on Tuesday, Jan. 17, to give a 5-year-old Homewood cancer patient a ride in style to her last chemotherapy treatment and had a special shout-out from children’s entertainer Blippi.
Joy Arseneau got to ride in a Cadillac Escalade limousine with her Fire Buddies friends.
support and cheer her on during chemotherapy treatments. (Provided photo)
Project Fire Buddies is an area organization that helps cheer up children battling life threatening illness.
“Families can turn to Project Fire Buddies for any type of assistance. We simply find a way to make it happen for these children,” said Homewood firefighter/paramedic Daniel Uhlmann.
Joy was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in November 2020. She had her final chemotherapy treatment on Tuesday.
“It’s been a very long road,” said Joy’s mom Nikki. “But we love Project Fire Buddies. They’ve brought us lots of smiles, especially to Joy.”
Homewood Fire Department joined Project Fire Buddies in October of 2021. Currently, Homewood Fire has three fire buddies living in Homewood ranging from 2 years old to 9 years old. All three children have been diagnosed and battling leukemia.
Project Fire Buddies began with the Oak Forest Fire Department in 2016. The mission of the organization is to bring joy to kids struggling with serious illness. They accomplish many outreach functions such as toy drives, special visits, celebrity shout-outs, and more. Currently, 35 Fire Departments across the south suburbs participate in Project Fire Buddies.
Related story:
Fire Buddies bring Christmas cheer to children dealing with cancer (Dec. 24, 2021)