AFD members shave their heads to support boy with bone cancer

AUSTIN, Texas - Members of the Austin Fire Department shaved their heads in support of a ten-year-old boy recently diagnosed with bone cancer.

Quincey Adam Mendez, the son of Air Shops' supervisor Johnny Mendez, was diagnosed with metastatic Ewing sarcoma, the second most common malignant bone tumor in adolescents and young adults.

To show support for Quincey, department members shaved their heads alongside his parents on Thursday, including the entire Air Shops’ team and Lieutenant Leo Rios, and Firefighters Anthony Ferrando, Justin Huerta, and Eric Muyldermans of the A-shift crew from Engine 35. 

According to Johns Hopkins, Ewing sarcoma accounts for about 1 percent of childhood cancers. About 225 children and adolescents are diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma in the U.S. each year. 

According to the American Cancer Society, the overall five-year survival rate for localized Ewing sarcoma is 70 percent. Patients with metastatic disease have a five-year survival rate of 15 percent to 30 percent.

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