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NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (AP) — He's a fighter.
That's how his friends and fire department colleagues describe Scott Johnson, who has had to put his firefighting career on hold to battle cancer.
Diagnosed in April 2015 with Stage 4 colorectal cancer, which had spread to his liver, Johnson said he has worked for 15 months on getting better, for the sake of his wife, Caroline, and their three young sons.
Since the diagnosis, Johnson has had two surgeries, including one to remove a tumor from his colon. He has undergone radiation and chemotherapy and, with the support of his colleagues, returned to light duty on July 5 in the maintenance division at Station 5 on Stanley Street.
"I have never seen anyone who has remained so positive with such a great outlook the whole period during his times of trouble," said K.C. Klett, a fellow firefighter and friend. "He has always put his family first. He is such a family man. His drive was to take care of his family when he should have been the one to be taken care of."
This July, Johnson found out he was free of colorectal cancer. "The liver spots are shrinking, too," he said. "Everything is responding well."
Johnson, 42, said he'll continue to do chemotherapy on the liver spots until they are gone. "It could take months or years. No one really knows," he said.
As he discussed his prognosis at his home, with his 15-year-old dog Gentry by his side, Johnson said his first day of work earlier this month was "like I never left the place. There was the same badgering and nonsense around the coffee table. It was all in a friendly nature."
Today, Johnson works nine hours a day, doing chores such as fit-testing masks at firehouses throughout the city. He hopes to be back on a truck by early September.
"It's nice to be back to work," he said. "I wasn't sure I'd be able to do that, much less be alive. When you get the 'C-word,' the worst thing you can do is to Google anything to see what is wrong with you."
Johnson, who is also fulfilling his obligations with the Coast Guard Reserve, said his fellow firefighters have gone "above and beyond."
Soon after he was diagnosed, many of his colleagues donated some of their paid sick time to him. They also started a GoFundMe page and helped with the upkeep of his Buell Street home.
"One painted my house and another put in central air," he said. "When I was in the hospital the second time, they resodded my backyard and brought me meals. I can't thank them enough. It meant a lot."
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Information from: New Britain Herald, http://www.newbritainherald.com
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