Community helps firefighter who is battling rare eye cancer

CHARLOTTE — A longtime firefighter dedicated to helping others now needs help, himself.

Dexter Freeman is battling a rare form of eye cancer.

He became a firefighter nearly 20 years ago and serves with Charlotte and Denver volunteer departments.

“I love helping people. Not just this community, but I’m always willing to help out,” he told Channel 9.

Doctors recently diagnosed Freeman with ocular melanoma, a rare and aggressive eye cancer.

He’s in Durham this week for surgery.

“They sew a radiation patch on the back of my eye,” Freeman said. “That’s where the tumor is, behind my eye. And that will stay on there for four days. I’ll have to go back and forth to the hospital. The radiation will do some damage. He didn’t say how much to my vision, and my left eye. So, I’ll have to get injections in the left eye Indefinitely.”

Freeman said he’s worried about his health, but his mind is focused on his three kids ages 6, 7 and 10.

“My biggest concern right now with my kids is not, it’s not the fear of dying, it’s the fear of missing out from their lives,” he said.

The community has stepped up to help with travel expenses and emotional support which Freeman said has been keeping him optimistic.

“I’m trying to keep positive and just enjoy every single day like it is my last,” he said.

CLICK HERE to help Freeman.

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