CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. -- Many Western New Yorkers, especially in the firefighting community, have been following the story of Timmy Richardson, a Cheektowaga teen who is battling leukemia. He wants to be a firefighter - a hero - one day. But before he can do that, it turns out he needed a hero of his own.
Now, thanks to the selflessness of an anonymous bone marrow donor, Tim has a second chance at life.
The 17-year-old was diagnosed with leukemia in March and the fight has been tougher than he and his family expected.
"To watch your son lay there in pain and agony and you can't do anything," his mother Deana Richardson said. "You just can't understand."
The goal to get back into his gear has been keeping Tim mentally tough. He lays in bed with his pills, shots, water and his fire dispatch radio on his nightstand.
Everything changed in August when Tim had a bone marrow transplant. There was an exhaustive search for a donor locally, but doctors found a 28-year-old man from Poland who was nearly a perfect match. In mid-September Tim said doctors told him he was "100% donor marrow," meaning the transplant was a success.
"There's slight to no chance that [the cancer is] coming back," said Tim. "To go through that pain just for some random person that you don't know and thank you, that's just the least that I can say."
To Tim and his firefighting family, his donor is his hero.
"It's the same thing that the brotherhood of the fire department does on a daily basis. We go out and help somebody when they need help- a complete stranger," said his father, Matthew Richardson, a firefighter in the U-Crest Volunteer Fire Department. "We drop what we're doing and we go and do it. So it's the same thing (that this donor did). It's great."
Firefighters from around the world showed their support to Tim by sending thousands of fire company t-shirts for him to wear during his treatment. A small, simple request that he never expected would take off like it did. They lost count after they received 4000. He said he said has letters to read and bins of t-shirts to go through.
And the support continues to pour in. In September Tim received a video message from Bills Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, who has battled cancer himself.
"Stay Bills tough. Stay Timmy tough. Stay JK tough. Take care, bud. Go Bills! God Bless you buddy," he said in part of the message.
Other fire departments continue to show their support as well. The Bowmansville Fire Haunted Hayride will donate its proceeds to Timmy. That's happening October 19 and 20. Click here for more information.