Pancake breakfast benefit planned for city firefighter battling cancer

Tyler Thurber in his room at Mass General with his wife, Paige (Courtesy photo)

ROCHESTER - When Tyler Thurber played on the Spaulding High baseball team, he stood out as a star pitcher.

Now the Rochester Firefighter's in the fight of his life trying to strike out a form of cancer that threatens his and his family's future.

Thurber, 26, was recently diagnosed with Mediastinal Large B-Cell Lymphoma, and has started undergoing chemotherapy at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Assistant Rochester Fire Chief Tim Wilder said on Tuesday that Thurber is currently home after he underwent an initial round of chemo last week. He'll go back for another round in a couple of weeks.

Thurber was a volunteer for Rochester Fire for five years before they recently hired him full time about six months ago, said Wilder.

Thurber has also been a call firefighter since 2011 in Lebanon, Maine, where he is currently a lieutenant.

Wilder called Thurber a "very respectable and personable member" of the city's firefighting team and a "very hard worker."

To help raise money to help the Thurber family through this tough time Rochester Fire and the local firefighter's union are hosting a pancake breakfast fund-raiser on Sunday at the downtown Central Station on Wakefield Street.

The breakfast will run from 7:30-11:30 a.m.

Thurber's fellow firefighters will be preparing and serving up the delicious breakfast, and attendees are asked to donate whatever amount they can to support Thurber's fight against cancer. Donations can be made by cash or check.

Anyone planning to attend is encouraged to RSVP on Facebook here. Those who cannot attend but would like to make a donation in support of Firefighter Thurber may do so by sending a check to 37 Wakefield St., Rochester, NH 03867 Attn: Tyler Thurber.