MIAMI – Firefighters had to rush one of their own to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center and they were asking for the public's help Monday.
A veteran firefighter collapsed Wednesday while he was working at the fire station in Miami's Little Haiti, and his colleagues saved his life. Now they fear that he will likely not be able to work for the next 12 to 24 months.
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Miami Fire Rescue Department Lt. Eric Nuñez was mounting his truck when he told his colleagues that he had an excruciating headache. The 12-year veteran was preparing to respond to a 911 call when he went unconscious.
"Upon arrival at the hospital, he began seizing as he was rushed to one of the trauma rooms," Al Perez wrote on a GoFundMe page.
Doctors discovered a cerebral artery's wall weakened and caused a large bulge that ruptured. While Nuñez suffered a massive brain bleed, doctors performed emergency surgery. He remains at Ryder Trauma Center and will continue to undergo intensive physical therapy.
Before he was hospitalized, Nuñez had just gotten engaged to his girlfriend, they had purchased a home in South Miami-Dade and they had been working on the renovations. While he has been at the hospital, several firefighters have been working on completing the renovations.
"Anyone who knows Eric, knows that he is the type of person who would literally take the shirt off his back for anyone in need and would help his friends at a drop of a hat," Perez wrote. "We are asking for any donation to assist in the many expenses that are to come for this amazing couple."
For more information about how to help, visit the GoFundMe page.