2026 Event Honorees

Why We Climb

In honor of our patients, survivors, and those we have lost

Alan Lynn (he/him/his)

I was 51 years old when I went to urgent care on Monday April 5, 2021, in my hometown for a sore throat.  I had just retired from law enforcement five days prior, on March 31, 2021, and had been feeling sick since I retired.  My wife at the time was undergoing ankle surgery on that Monday, and to ensure I didn’t have COVID, I went to urgent care to protect her.  Little did I know what would unfold from that visit and how my life would be forever changed.

I was initially seen at urgent care but sent to the emergency room at the local hospital and would spend the majority of my day undergoing tests and not knowing what was occurring.  Around 5:00pm the doctor came into my room and advised me that I had leukemia and that I would be transported by ambulance to Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), which was an hour and half away.  I was in complete disbelief and would be for the next few days.

Once at OHSU, I underwent multiple tests, to include a bone marrow biopsy and it was confirmed that I had Acute Myeloid Leukemia with a FLT-3 mutation.  I could no longer deny what was happening. I underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy and extended stays at OHSU over the next several months.  To include an Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplant, with the ORCA study protocol, on June 23, 2021.  I was blessed that my two sisters, were both 100% matches for the transplant and my sister Diane Draper was my donor.

I won’t say that 2021, or the years following have been easy, or didn’t present many challenges.  There was a lot of uncertainty, suffering, and challenges throughout it and to this day.  However, despite all of that, I feel blessed and thankful for going through what I did and learned what is important in life.

I learned the importance of community and family.  This is not a battle you can fight on your own.  My children and sisters, as well as their families were there every step of the way.  As were my former co-workers and my amazing medical team from OHSU, led by Dr. Arpita Gandhi.  All of them played a crucial role in me becoming a better version of myself.  Because of this, my bond with my children and sisters has never been stronger.

Living this experience, forced me to look deep inside of myself and learn what was truly important.  Living to earn a paycheck, or build status, is not what life is. Living to experience every second of your life fully and to truly find love for yourself and those around you, is true happiness. Because of my experience I have found that.  With that being said, it is my responsibility and privilege to be an example of that and to show others how to move forward with resiliency, courage and love.

 

Molly Quillin (they/them/theirs)

 

I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma on October 7, 2024, in the fall of my third and final year of law school. I remained enrolled in my classes, thanks to the support of the University of Oregon School of Law, my friends, and my family. I began chemotherapy in November 2024 and concluded chemo in February 2025. I took my final exams with a full chemo brain, a little extra time, and a prayer. I passed all of my classes that fall. I continued to stay in school the following semester and began radiation in April 2025. This treatment timeline does not and cannot fully describe the hard days I spent processing a hefty diagnosis, the love I felt from my family and friends near and far, the delicious (and now sickening) peppermints the nurses at the Willamette Valley Cancer Institute gave me so I did not taste the nausea medicine, the kindness from my fellow patients and nurses (and now friends) at WVCI, the difficulty of finishing law school while beating cancer, and every emotion in between. I cannot fully express into words my gratitude for the love, support, time, and effort it took my friends, family, school, and WVCI to hold me throughout the course of this long, winding road. Mary Oliver wrote, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” and I will tell you this – I intend to live fuller, laugh longer, love louder, and breathe deeper in my cancer-free life. Thank you for this immense honor. It is one I take seriously and cherish deeply.

 

Do you know a firefighter, survivor, or community hero whose story inspires others? We’d love to honor them at the Firefighter Stairclimb. If you have someone in mind, please reach out to us at FirefighterStairclimb@lls.org  with their name, story, and contact information.