PHOENIX (AP) - Phoenix Fire Chief Kara Kalkbrenner says she’s been diagnosed with breast cancer and will undergo a double mastectomy and reconstruction Friday.
Kalkbrenner made the disclosure in an open letter she posted on the Fire Department’s Facebook account Thursday night.
Kalbrenner also said the diagnosis strengthens her resolve “to eradicate the disease from being considered an eventual expectation of having this career.”
Azfamily.com reports that the department recently made major changes to its decontamination procedures in an effort to reduce firefighters’ exposure to the carcinogens they encounter as part of their jobs, and KNXV-TV reports Kalbrenner has been outspoken about the increased risk firefighters face in getting cancer.
Kalbrenner said the diagnosis came after she discovered a lump in a breast several weeks ago and that she has a positive outlook and feels confident she will beat the cancer.
She said she expects to continue leading the department following her initial recovery period from the surgery.
A Phoenix native, Kalkbrenner joined the department in 1985. She became Phoenix’s first female fire chief in 2014.
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