Bad News

The CFD Firefighter injured last week is paralyzed from the waist down:

• A Chicago firefighter has a long road to recovery after suffering a life-changing injury last week. He was hurt while battling a fire in the city's Burnside neighborhood. John Anderson is now partially paralyzed, but fellow firefighters are banding together to help Anderson and his family with his mounting medical expenses.

  Anderson is described as a character, known to always crack a joke. "You're not around him very long without laughing about something," Chicago Fire Capt. Chris Steinmetz said. Steinmetz has gotten to know Anderson very well. They're both firefighters working out of a fire station in Burnside.

  At age 50, Anderson is the oldest among his colleagues. He assumed a father-figure role and took on duties as the fire house cook. "It was one of the best things about being here, having great meals every day. He was outstanding all the time," Steinmetz said.

  But now, Anderson is being looked after by his colleagues, after suffering a catastrophic injury. On Friday night, the firefighters responded to a house fire at 90th Street and Langley Avenue, and Anderson was outside when a large object fell on him. He is now permanently paralyzed from the waist down.

He has a long road ahead of him and will need a bunch of support. While most will be no doubt handled by the CFD family, we would hope that they let us know about fund raisers and where we can contribute to assist moving forward. If anyone hears anything, post it in the comments.