PHOTOS: Firefighter Mark Meylor has faced plenty of dangerous calls. He has run into burning buildings, pulled hose in blistering heat, and carried the weight of responsibility that comes with protecting lives. But the alarm that changed his life forever did not come from the firehouse. It came from his own body. It was 2014, three years before Meylor joined Charlotte Fire, when an ordinary evening at home with his wife, Deborah โBibiโ Meylor, took a startling turn.
โI suddenly felt like I needed to use the bathroom,โ Meylor recalled. โWhen I did, it was nothing but blood. No pain, nothing else, just blood. That moment will stick with me forever.โ The shock was immediate, but so was the confusion. He felt fine. No fever, no weakness. He told Bibi and decided to call the doctor the next morning. โI think part of me didnโt want to believe something serious could be wrong,โ he said. Tests led to a referral to a urologist, and before long, Meylor was sitting in an exam room with Bibi beside him.
โThe doctor came in with a straight face and told me I had cancer,โ he said. โEverything after that was a blur. I could see his mouth moving, but I wasnโt really hearing the words.โ Bibi stepped in, telling the doctor to speak directly to her. That brought Meylor back to the moment, but the weight of the news did not lift. โI had spent my whole life running toward emergencies. Now I was the one in trouble, and I couldnโt run from it.โ
