PHOTOS: Every morning, retired Phoenix Fire Capt. Bill Rini takes time to care for his colostomy and uroscopy bags. After more than 30 years riding fire trucks, he now lives with daily reminders of the cancer that nearly took his life.
“When I first got into firefighting back in 1989, we never worried about the smoke, we never worried about the carcinogens that were soaking into our skin,” Rini said in the new documentary, “Dying to Save You.” “That’s your base for every type of cancer that we’re getting.”
Rini was first diagnosed with occupational cancer in 1999 and would go on to face three more diagnoses over the next 25 years. “The cancer this last time around broke me. That’s the first time I’ve said that out loud,” he said in the film.
His bladder, prostate, and urethra were removed, along with undergoing chemotherapy and multiple surgeries, forced Rini to live in constant pain.
“He’s lived with repeated cancer diagnoses for 20 years, and his quality of life has been devastated,” said Local 493 President Bryan Willingham. “We don’t want another fire fighter, or anyone really, to go through that.”
“Dying to Save You” is a 27-minute documentary created in partnership with the 493 Firefighter Foundation, Phoenix, AZ Local 493, and directed by longtime collaborator Patrick Gramm. The film follows the personal journeys of three Phoenix fire captains: Rini, Tommy Sagnella, and the late Anthony Mock, who were each diagnosed with occupational cancer.
