It is with a heavy heart that we at FIREWIRE magazine
must report that Engineer Cory Norton, our brother in
service for 10 years, is battling Epithelioid Sarcoma.
It is a rare cancer, and for Cory, it is located in a
rare spot—near his lumbar spine.
In September 2015 Cory was at work and began ex-
It is no secret that we in the fire service are put at a heightened risk for
cancer, and it is times like this that we should remember to recognize the
value we hold in each of our loved ones. We must also re-evaluate
our personal health and dutifully obtain routine medical examinations, as early detection is the key.
Further, we should take care of our own in these sit-
periencing excruciating back pain. No stranger to dis-
uations; Cory is not alone in his fight against this
comfort in this area, Cory had previously suffered a
terrible disease. This will be a long battle, for which
debilitating on-duty fall that resulted in the fracture
there is an enormous financial and emotional toll.
of several vertebrae. However, those vertebrae
We must support Cory Norton and his family in
were fused and Cory eventually returned to full
every way possible.
duty. After the onset of this new and severe pain,
in October Cory decided to have an evaluation
Please keep Cory and his family in your thoughts
done on his back. The initial MRI showed that
and prayers during this difficult time. There are
scar tissue from his original surgery had de-
many ways to assist, so please get involved.
veloped around his vertebrae, impinging on
Contact the liaisons, Captain Darrell Feurhahn
his sciatic nerves. Doctors also found a mass
and Engineer Jeremy Pendergraft, to see what
behind his spine pressing on his spinal cord. In
December Cory had surgery to clear those two issues;
help is needed. The Norton family has now set up a
fund to provide financial help.
however, a biopsy revealed—to the surprise of all the medical
experts—a malignant tumor.
Please join in the fight! The family humbly
appreciates any financial assistance.
Cory and his family were clinging to the hope that this tumor would be
The fund can be found by a simple internet search for the:
localized. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Further CT evaluation
“Fight On Cory Norton Fund” or at the following link:
found that some of the tumor had been missed, is continuing to grow
www.firefamilyfoundation.org
and may have metastasized into nodules in his lungs.
Treatment for Epithelioid Sarcoma in this location is extremely spe-
Checks can be made payable to:
Fire Family Foundation-Cory Norton
cialized. In order to remove the tumor and surrounding tissue Cory will
require yet another extensive, eight-hour back surgery that will involve
completely removing the L5 vertebrae and replacing it with a sophisticated synthetic prosthetic. Cory will then undergo healing/rehab from
“Anywhere I see suffering, that is where
I want to be, doing what I can.”
-Princess Diana
the surgery for 3-6 weeks. Once that is completed he will require radiation and chemotherapy treatments for an unknown duration.
Winter 2016 • FIREWIRE
21