Hundreds of people came to the Firefighters Hall to support the McDonnell family, demonstrating how tight-knit the Omaha Fire Department is and the lengths members will go to look out for one another. Whether they were volunteering, enjoying spaghetti and meatballs, or collecting raffle tickets in hopes of winning a prize, everyone at the Firefighters Hall Sunday afternoon was there for one reason: to support 39-year-old Matt McDonnell.
“He’s one of our own, and we all love him and just want to do anything we could to help him and his family get through this.” McDonnell is an Omaha firefighter who was diagnosed in July with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
“This is such a scary thing to face, but we stay upright because of people around us,” said Mattโs wife, Staci McDonnell. Throughout his battle, Staci says the Omaha firefighters have been by the familyโs side.
“We just tell them anything you need, just give us a call. We’ll get some guys down there and take care of it,” said Bob Sledge. Now the department is helping raise money for the McDonnells with a spaghetti feed.
