This is the third such stair climb that I have participated in, but it was every bit as meaningful as the other two. As I have in the past, I once again climbed in honor of Firefighter Thomas Sabella from Ladder 13. As FF Sabella was the uncle of my best friend Jason, I climb to help keep his memory alive. While I never had the honor to meet him, through Jason I definitely have come to know the husband, father, brother and firefighter that he was. I do this to help to keep the memory of all our FDNY Brothers alive. It is just something that I feel I have to do. We get to go home after our climb. They never got that chance.
It is certainly not an easy venture. Particularly for those of us that choose to climb in full protective gear, it get’s hot and tiresome real quick. Even with ventilation fans blowing air into the stairwells it gets really hot as you get near the top. With all of that said, it is child’s play compared to the hell our FDNY Brothers had to endure as they made their ascent. As in past stair climbs, there are certain times where the urge to quit becomes strong. Whenever these urges come though, I remind myself at Thomas Sabella never quit so neither can I. I had to complete that climb for him and his Brothers.
Special for me this year also was being able to climb with brothers and sisters from the Odenton Volunteer Fire Company. We were able to field a whole team of 7 from the company and I was extremely proud to climb with such a great group of people. I’d like to think that we all became a little closer in the stairwell that day.
This was my third climb, but certainly not my last. As long as my body lets me, I will continue to climb for Jason’s uncle at least once a year. I will do my small part to ensure his memory never fades.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
