SURPRISE, AZ (AZFamily) — Beloved Surprise Fire Department “Paramedic of the Year” Paul Johnson died from cancer this week.
He will be deeply missed, and his impact can be seen on his ambulance, with a “PJ Strong” sticker and a mourning band honoring him as a fallen hero.
“We miss him, we love him, and we’ll never forget him,” said firefighter Damian Wallis.
Wallis and everybody part of Surprise Fire are grieving the loss of one of their own.
Arizona’s Family met him at the ceremony in June as he humbly accepted the award.
“Surprised. There’s a lot of great competition. I work with some fantastic, fantastic paramedics,” Johnson said then.
This was just a couple of months after the husband and father of three learned he had stage four cancer.
“Not much one to cry, but I got a little teary,” he told Arizona’s Family at the ceremony. “Things were racing through my head like mortgages and bills and, you know, dealing with my children who are 11, 9 and 6. You know, we’ve got big news and life’s gonna change.”
His fellow firefighters and medics rallied around his family, bringing them meals, taking him to doctor’s appointments, and helping with yard work.
“We’re not going to forget. We’re going to be there for them, support them for the long haul,” said Wallis.
The diagnosis was a shock, and his decline was quick, but those close to Johnson say he always maintained his positive and compassionate attitude.
His friend and co-worker, Dan Anderson, says that since Johnson was a civilian paramedic, he’s not eligible for presumptive health care coverage as a first responder with cancer.
“He’s been staged sometimes in front of fires, has inhaled smoke. He has a cancer diagnosis, but unfortunately since he’s a civilian he’s not protected under the same laws,” said Anderson.
Right before he passed away, his fire station 301 crew took him home from the hospital in the same ambulance Johnson rode in countless times to save others.
“I can just remember Paul just kind of sitting on the gurney kind of just looking at the sky, you know, looking up at the blue sky. We all took a little moment together,” said Anderson.
“He goes, ‘Hey D, I love you man.’ I said, ‘I love you too, brother,’” said Wallis, recalling their last conversation.
Johnson joined the department in 2018, and his legacy will be long-lasting.
“It’s gonna be a huge loss to our department that we’re never going to be able to replace,” said Anderson.
Not only did his wife Bre lose her husband, but the next day, she lost her father.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Johnson’s family.
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