Ohio’s PARMA Heights — Last week, Vito Sadler celebrated a birthday he will always remember.
As part of the Parma Heights fire department’s A Special Wish Northeast Ohio Chapter initiative to fulfill the requests of children with life-threatening illnesses, the North Olmsted resident was also made an honorary fireman on the day of his sixth birthday.
According to Sadler’s mother, Augustine, Vito was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia B-cell when he was two years old and underwent treatment for a little over two years. We collaborated with A Special Wish during that period, and they had a program called When You Grow Up.
In essence, you get to spend a day doing whatever it is you want to do when you grow up. We kind of forgot about it and Vito’s name never made it to the top, but I received a call from them last month saying that they wanted to have a day dedicated to him as a firefighter.
The family was picked up from their home in a fire vehicle and taken to many local fire stations before reaching Parma Heights on this momentous day.
There, Parma Heights Mayor Marie Gallo swore Vito and his 8-year-old brother Max in as honorary firefighters.
“Our fire department is a great example of true public service, which knows no bounds,” Gallo remarked.
It’s about serving with compassion and putting your heart first wherever hope is most needed.
The Sadler brothers were given fireman gear, helmets, and jackets with their names on them after their mother affixed their badges.
Before receiving a special call about a nearby fire that needed their assistance, the guys took a tour of the fire station and learnt how to use the hoses.
“They requested Firefighters Max and Vito over the radio after a fire was reported after lunch,” she said.
They had to quickly leave, get dressed, get into their car, connect to the fire hydrants, get the hoses out, and put out the fire.
Naturally, Vito said that extinguishing the actual fire was the highlight of the day.
He declared, “I really want to be a firefighter when I grow up, just like Firefighters Nick and Steve.”
I still have questions, and I still want to return. How do they enter homes that are locked? How can you avoid getting injured in a fire? If I want to work as a firefighter, I must be aware of these things.
At Saint Joe’s in Avon Lake, the kindergartener is already discussing specialization in using the fire department’s drone.
Ultimately, seeing her sons go through something they won’t soon forget was a blessing for an emotional Sadler throughout the day.
“Both boys have experienced a great deal,” Sadler said, adding that Vito has been doing well and in remission for around a year and a half.
Allowing them to simply forget about everything, be children, and enjoy life was wonderful. Neither of them has ever smiled so much in a single day, I believe.
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