Climbing the StairMaster at your gym can be exhausting, but imagine climbing hundreds of feet wearing an oxygen tank and around 80 pounds of gear. Two Lubbock firefighters are going to the left coast to climb one of the tallest buildings west of the Mississippi for a cause. Firefighters Adrian Barajas and Kris Kelly will climb 69 flights of stairs. As grueling as that sounds ,it is actually even worse.
"Myself and another fireman are going to Seattle, Washington and doing the 25th annual Scott Firefighter Stairclimb," Barajas explained. "Firefighters from all over the world are in full gear, on air where we're breathing off our oxygen tanks off our backs."
"They want to do more than just what they do at their job. They want to be able to go out in the community and do something above and beyond," Division Chief Steve Holland said. "It's going to be really tough, it's really tough."
This stairclimb is not just another charity event for Barajas.
"The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is very near and dear to my heart," the firefighter said. "I lost a best friend in 2011 to Lymphoma. At the same time, my sister-in-law was diagnosed with Leukemia."
His sister-in-law Lindsay West successfully underwent seven months of chemotherapy to beat Leukemia. She is now almost a full five years in remission.
"One day I was going to work and doing my normal routine, and then the next thing you know I'm in the hospital fighting for my life," West said. "Anytime you get a diagnosis like that it just kind of turns your whole world upside down."
Barajas' best friend Brent Graham was 23-years old when he received his diagnosis. Graham and Barajas went to EMT school and firefighter academy together.
"In the summer of 2010, just an ordinary cough, went to the doctor and they found a mass in his chest. He immediately diagnosed it at T-cell lymphoma," Barajas explained. "He was my best friend. Anytime I needed something in the middle of the night, got in a bind at work or needed *anything*, he was the guy that I could count on. Friends like that are hard to come across."
"A fun, young guy. He wanted to be a firefighter and he was a great friend to Adrian," West added.
After battling lymphoma for nine months, Graham's dream to be a firefighter was cut short. Barajas keeps Graham's battle in the back of his mind while pushing through the stairclimb.
"Just seeing how he battled hard and seeing how terrible he felt and he still tried to push through until the very end," Barajas said. "What he went through was definitely a lot worse. What everyone goes through battling those two types of cancer, they're pretty aggressive. Just to watch him in nine months deteriorate as quick as he did, that's what keeps me going."
"I guarantee you it's going to be mind over matter on a deal like that. Just telling yourself you can do it and you can fight through it," Holland said.
Barajas says the physical and mental anguish he endures is a small price to pay to honor his sister-in-law and late best friend. The staircase is lined with pictures of survivors and those lost to cancer. Two on display are Brent Graham and Lindsay West.
"From a personal level, I know what those two went through so climbing these stairs, yeah it's bad but it's nowhere near the terrible feeling they had," Barajas said. "Up to the very end, he kept going."
"Just him doing it for me and for Brent is, I mean, it's amazing. It's really amazing," West said, holding back tears.
"It shows that the guys at Lubbock Fire Rescue believe in giving back to the community," Holland said. "He's one of our top-notch firefighters."
Barajas and Kelly have a fundraising goal of $5,000 to donate to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The duo has t-shirts and challenge coins available and the option to donate straight to the cause. Visit this website for more details.
