Hours after Carlos Alfaro Sr. sent his comrades off to help with Hurricane Katrina relief last September, the veteran Montgomery County firefighter found himself in an emergency room.
He thought it was a heart attack. Days later, Alfaro, 56, learned he had multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer of the plasma cells.
It’s not the only tragedy in the family. His son, namesake and fellow firefighter, Carlos Alfaro Jr., 36, has been in declining health following a liver transplant nine years ago. He has been in one hospital fighting off an infection while his father begins bone-marrow transplants at another. Both have needed numerous blood transfusions.
To help the Alfaros and to raise awareness, the county’s 1,150 firefighters will hold a blood drive May 19.
Coordinator and county firefighter Steve Mann, the elder Alfaro’s son-in-law, already expects more than 100 people to donate.
“The response has been overwhelming,” Mann said Wednesday. “It’s been a long year so far.”
The elder Alfaro was a firefighter in his native Peru until he immigrated to the U.S. at age 18. He’s been with Montgomery County ever since and works out of Aspen Hill. His son joined the department as a high school volunteer, started full time after graduating and works out of Gaithersburg.
The American Red Cross alone needs about 1,000 units of blood daily to meet patient needs, said Shaun Adamec, spokesman for the Greater Chesapeake and Potomac Region. Types O and B are particularly needed in this region, Adamec said.
Blood drive
» The blood drive is scheduled from 1 to 6 p.m. May 19 at Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service Station 16, 111 University Blvd. E., Silver Spring. For information or to schedule an appointment, call Steve Mann at 301-440-9294. For Spanish, call Jorge Alfaro at 202-302-0898.
» To donate to the American Red Cross Greater Chesapeake and Potomac Region, call 800-GIVE-LIFE or visit www.my-redcross.org.
