‘A beautiful trip’: Weymouth Firefighter battling Stage 4 cancer gifted trip of a lifetime

WEYMOUTH, Mass. — A Weymouth firefighter battling Stage 4 cancer will take a trip of a lifetime this week.

Lt. John Higgins was chosen for this vacation by the Last Call Foundation, which works to help firefighters who have been exposed to harmful chemicals on the job.

“It’s a job I look forward to going to, so to have that suddenly taken away, it’s pretty hard, so you know, get out there and get the scans and catch it before it’s too late,” said Lt. Higgins.

Lt. Higgins has been a Weymouth firefighter for nearly 20 years.

He only just learned he has cancer after getting a voluntary screening at his fire station this year.

“About two weeks after that test I got called by United Diagnostics and they said you need to call the doctor, and I was like what for? and they said you have a mass in your right lung that I didn’t know about,” said Higgins.

Higgins was diagnosed with Stage 4 Bilateral Lung cancer in May, and it had already spread to his brain.

Luckily, after his latest treatment, he learned the cancer is shrinking.

“There’s no cure for the cancer, they can’t cure it, there’s no way they’ll be able to cure it, it just gives me more time,” said Higgins.

With that precious time, Higgins says he’s excited for this next adventure.

A Boston-based travel company has gifted him and his wife a bucket list trip to Montana this week.

“This is something I feel lucky to do all the time, how amazing if we could give somebody the opportunity who’s going through a difficult time to just completely disconnect from the reality of their day-to-day life and go somewhere where nobody knows their struggle,” said Eric Czerlonka, CEO and Founder of Curated by Czerlonka.

Czerlonka says for the last decade his travel business, Czerlonka Event Design and Management, has focused on corporate trips.

But this trip for Higgins will be one of the first vacations completely donated to someone who deserves a break, as part of their new venture, ‘Curated by Czerlonka.’

Higgins and his wife will be staying at Paws Up Montana, a luxury ranch.

“They’re credited with creating the term glamping, you know, luxury camping in an amazing, beautiful setting in Montana on the creeks and on the cliffs, it’s just really special,” said Czerlonka.

A special way to give back to someone who has given so much to his community for decades.

“We’re grateful, absolutely grateful,” said Higgins. “Sounds like a beautiful trip, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, I just have to do it sooner now, but that’s okay.”

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