PHOENIX — A few months ago, Chuck Montgomery, a retired Glendale Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, an occupational cancer.
While getting treatment to save his life, he reconnected with a former patient he helped save nearly 28 years ago.
Montgomery was a fire captain in September of 1996 for Glendale Fire Department when Christy Lessnau, a now registered nurse for City of Hope, was involved in a car crash at 51st Avenue and Beardsley.
Lessnau says she and her mom were hit by a drunk driver who ran a red light.
"I remember looking over, my mom is completely unconscious," Lessnau said.
In the crash, Lessnau was severely injured, including a large cut near her chin and throat.
"I was walking and I could feel this warmness just go down my throat and that’s when I felt the opening cut," Lessnau said.
Over the years, Lessnau hasn't forgotten the names of the Glendale Firefighters who responded to her crash.
"They basically saved both of our lives and they gave me that comfort and reassurance," Lessnau said.
So when she was working a shift and overheard Montgomery talking with a fellow firefighter while receiving treatment, Lessnau asked him about his career and the department he worked for.
"He said, 'Glendale.' And I said, 'Do you know a gentleman named Rollie?' And he said 'Yeah he was my driver engineer' and I was like 'Really?' I said 'Rollie was one of the guys that saved my life. Do you know Chuck?' And I’ll never forget, he took his hat off and he goes 'I’m Chuck,' And I was like 'No way.'"
Lessnau said she was glad to be able to thank Montogmery again, and Montgomery was glad to see Lessnau doing so well.
Lessnau is now part of the team that's treating Montgomery's stage three cancer, which has hope for remission.
"It’s the same way you fight a fire you go there and you don’t say, 'Well I think we’ll just pass on this one'. You have to formulate a plan and attack it," Montgomery said. "This is just a fire that’s inside of me that’s needing to be extinguished one bag at a time."
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