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Rutherford First Responders Bring Joy To Honorary Fireman Battling Cancer

LITTLE FERRY, N.J. — Dozens of area firefighters brought joy to a Little Ferry boy battling an aggressive form of cancer on Sunday.

Lil Ryu of Little Ferry, 5, received his very own fire hat, thanks to Bergen County Pink Heals and local departments.

Lil Ryu of Little Ferry, 5, received his very own fire hat, thanks to Bergen County Pink Heals and local departments.

Photo Credit: Special To Daily Voice
Lil Ryu was made honorary firefighter Sunday, thanks to dozens of local departments and Bergen County Pink Heals.

Lil Ryu was made honorary firefighter Sunday, thanks to dozens of local departments and Bergen County Pink Heals.

Photo Credit: Special To Daily Voice
Rally for Ryu at the Little Ferry fire station.

Rally for Ryu at the Little Ferry fire station.

Photo Credit: Special To Daily Voice

Pink Heals Bergen County organized the event for Lil Ryu, 5, who got to ride in the firetruck and received a uniform with his name on it.

Ryu wants to be a firefighter when he grows up, but keeps asking his mom if he can do that with one eye.

"He asks how he's going to save people lives with his tubes hanging out," said Agatha Okumara. "He thinks he can be a fireman now."

Ryu was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer, when he was 3 years old. He has been battling metastatic retinoblastoma since 2016.

The best option for him is enucleation of his left eye to remove the 3 tumors they discovered.

Still, he isn't losing sight of his dream.

"He wants to be a fireman more than anything now," Okumara said of Ryu.

Participating departments include:

  • Lodi FD
  • South Hackensack FD
  • Ridgefield Park EMS 
  • Edgewater FD
  • Moonachie FD
  • Hawthorne FD 
  • River Edge FD 
  • Parsippany Rescue & Recovery Unit
  • Little Ferry FD
  • Demarest EMS
  • Fort Lee FD 
  • Budd Lake FD
  • Dumont FD
  • Guardians of the Ribbon North Jersey
  • Thin Red Line Fire Photography/Nutchies Towing - Antique Apparatus
  • Garfield FD
  • Hasbrouck Heights FD
  • East Rutherford FD
  • Palisade Park Fire
  • Rochelle Park Fire Prevention
  • Ridgefield OEM
  • Wood-Ridge FD
  • Leonia FD
  • Saddle Brook FD
  • Ridgefield FD
  • Ridgefield Park FD
  • Warren County Forestry Fire Service

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