Excerpts from the poster.com:
Nick Riordan had a smile on his face as he watched the dozens upon dozens of people fill the Knights of Columbus hall on Wednesday to help raise money for him.
To those who know him, Riordan, a 3 1/2-year veteran of the Peoria Fire Department, would do nothing else than smile. Not even a possibly life-threatening diagnosis of neuroendocrine carcinoma got him down, say his buddies on the department.
For weeks, firefighters have worn bracelets for Riordan. Some even shaved their heads to show solidarity with the father of three who is undergoing chemotherapy to combat the stage 4 cancer. He was initially given months to live but his wife, Sarah Riordan, who was holding their 1-month-old daughter, said they had gone to a doctor in Denver and had gotten some encouraging news. Still, it’s an uphill battle with the medical bills, the time off work and just the stress for Nick Riordan, whose children are still too young to understand completely what is going on. “They just know Daddy’s sick and taking medicine to get well,” he said.
The firefighter-paramedic learned of the cancer in May when he went to the doctor for stomach pain. He thought it was a gall bladder issue.
People filled the social hall, wolfing down plates of food donated by area businesses. Others bid on one of the items on nearly a dozen tables in a silent auction. A woman who won a share of the 50-50 raffle donated her portion back to Riordan.
Riordan said he’s taking things day by day. He’s hopeful the chemo will work. He paused and smiled as people came up to him and wished him well. His friend Lindholm has already told him he’ll get through it.
A GoFundMe page called “Relief for the Riordans” has been set up for the family.
