Three year old Dyrk Burcie and dad, Dameon

SEDONA AZ (August 20, 2012) – Dyrk Burcie, the son of a Texas firefighter and a Children’s Hospital ICU nurse, was diagnosed with pediatric liver cancer at three years of age. Now four years old, Dyrk has endured many rounds of chemotherapy and a liver transplant, all with the hope that he will live long and prosper.

Dyrk loves firefighters, especially his father, Dameon, a Dallas Fire Rescue Lieutenant. To encourage Dyrk to find the will and strength to live, Dallas firefighters began to create support messages for him. It was from this fire service bond of family that the Dyrk Strong Project found its roots. 

Soon each of the fire houses in Dallas began to post crew pictures and posters saying “We are Dyrk Strong.” In the spirit of friendly competition, other fire crews began trying to “out do” each other to support Dyrk until now “We Are Dyrk Strong” messages are sent and received from fire services around the world.

Dyrk Burcie at four

After a link was emailed to the SFD staff about Dyrk’s battle, SFD joined the list of international fire agencies supporting Dyrk and the Burcie family. Everyone rallied around a video project starring SFD personnel that was a collaborative work product of User Support Lead Technician Jeremy Harris and Firefighter Steve Corpus.

To watch the SFD We Are Dyrk Strong video, click here:   www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q92eupIGsc.

The Sedona Fire Department tied Dyrk’s project into its local campaign to support kids affected by cancer, the SFD Purchase a Paver project. To honor Dyrk and his family, SFD added a paver to the Station 1 walkway dedicating its support forever. 

Visit Dyrk Burcie’s website at www.dyrkstrong.org. Meet Dyrk’s courageous support team; parents, Dameon and Shelley, and brothers, Dakota and Dustin, and, the fire service with its history and passion for “taking care of family” no matter where they live. While visiting Dyrk’s website, you can donate to the Burcie family’s trip to California to see Legoland, Sea World and the San Diego Zoo. As of today, $602 has been donated. Dameon and Shelley Burcie will share with you the latest on Dyrk, and the family’s decision to enjoy its remaining time with him.

If you want to help children like Dyrk, SFD paver bricks are still available; a 6″ by 9″ paver with three lines of text is $75 and a 6″ by 12″ paver with six lines of text is $150.

All proceeds from the SFD Purchase a Paver project will be donated to local families facing the challenges of a child diagnosed with cancer. For more information, contact the Sedona Fire District at 928-282-6800.

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