Pancake breakfast benefit rakes in $10 grand for Team Thurber

Firefighter Brandt Berry, left, serves up pancakes to Erica Woodward, her daughter Raelynn, 5; and son Brayden, 3 on Sunday at a pancake breakfast benefit at Central Station on Wakefield Street. (Rochester Voice photos)

ROCHESTER - Tyler Thurber wasn't able to attend Sunday's pancake breakfast benefit due to recent chemotherapy, but Team Thurber had his back, raising more than $10,000 for the Rochester firefighter who is battling Mediastinal Large B-Cell Lymphoma.

Sam Morrill of local firefighters union 1451, who helped to organize the fund-raiser, said the Wakefield Street Central Station was packed from the moment they opened at 7:30 a.m. He said some 500 had already shown up by 10:30 for a firefighter-prepared breakfast of pancakes, bacon, coffee and orange juice.

The Central Station was packed with supporters of Tyler Thurber who turned out for a pancake breakfast benefit on Sunday.

Morrill said Thurber had been asked by doctors to stay home due to infection worries, but that the happy-go-lucky 26-year-old had been Facebooking live throughout the morning with family, co-workers and friends.

Morrill said Thurber faces five more rounds of chemo which will take place over the next five months.

"We just want to get him back in a truck ASAP," Morrill said.

Meanwhile, Team Thurber T-shirts were selling like - well, like hotcakes - with Kaitlin Taatjes of Rochester manning a T-shirt table on one side of the firehouse.

Morrill said they would likely sell out.

A previous Facebook fund-raiser to help the Thurber family expired recently but Morrill said another one would be starting up soon.

Kaitlin Taatjes of Rochester folds Team Thurber T-shirts as she prepares them for sale at Central Station in Rochester on Sunday.

In addition anyone who would like to make a donation in support of Firefighter Thurber may do so by sending a check to Rochester Fire, 37 Wakefield St., Rochester, NH 03867 Attn: Tyler Thurber.