Plymouth, Ind., is now home to the first Project Fire Buddies chapter in North Central Indiana, and the Plymouth Fire Department has already named its first Buddy Family. Eight-year-old Claire, who was diagnosed last fall with DIPG, a rare and terminal brain tumor, is the child firefighters will rally around as the new chapter gets underway.
The announcement gives the Plymouth fire chapter an immediate purpose. Doctors say children with DIPG typically live about 12 months after diagnosis, a brutal timeline that has made the family’s connection to the department even more personal. Claire’s grandfather retired after more than 20 years of service with Plymouth fire, and that history helped shape the department’s decision to make her family the first it supports.
Adam Baer said Claire’s family has deep roots in Plymouth and with the fire department, pointing to her grandfather’s long career there as part of what made the partnership meaningful from the start. Aaron Wagers, who also spoke about the effort, said the organization meant something to him personally because his older brother had a terminal brain tumor when he was a child and his family went through a Make-A-Wish program. He called it a great organization that brings joy to children’s lives.
Project Fire Buddies is a national nonprofit with more than 165 chapters that pairs firefighters with children facing serious or terminal illnesses. The group also provides gifts, experiences, vacations and help with treatment options that can be beyond a family’s reach. Plymouth is the first chapter in North Central Indiana, and local firefighters say they hope other departments in the region will adopt the model.
The chapter’s first major outing is already set. On June 13, Plymouth Fire Buddies will send Claire’s entire family and friends to the South Bend Cubs game for cancer awareness night, turning the new chapter’s launch into a public show of support for a child whose diagnosis has changed everything in less than a year. For Plymouth, the question now is not whether the program can work there. It already has.
