Bar holds fundraiser for Lexington firefighter battling cancer

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - A Lexington bar is bustling with people who are not only celebrating St. Patrick’s Day but who are raising money for a Lexington firefighter battling cancer.

When Chase Snyder walked through the doors at Halligan’s, cheers rang out.

“Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts. It’s been amazing to see the brotherhood come together,” Chase said.

Snyder is a former Nicholasville firefighter. About a year ago, he switched to Lexington fire. His career started in 2016. but earlier this year, everything changed.

“Chase was diagnosed with invasive squamous cell carcinoma,” said Nicholasville Firefighters Local 4289 president Jerry Stephens. “He has not been on the job for several weeks, and he’s going to be off for several months.”

This is why fellow firefighters showed up to Halligan’s with one goal in mind: to ease the financial burden Snyder’s family of five is facing.

“We couldn’t imagine being anywhere else for anyone else,” Stephens said.

Many of the people there say they will be there until the bar closes, showing support for Snyder. A percentage of Halligans’ sales will go into the donation bucket as well as any money they make off of things they have for sale.

“Most of my career, we didn’t even talk about cancer, you know. We don’t want to think about our own demise,” said the bar owner, Otis Cveticanin, a retired Lexington firefighter.

“Cancer in the fire service is a silent killer,” Stephens said.

Stephens says you wouldn’t even know Snyder has cancer. He says he’s as strong as they come.

“If you look in the fire book for the definition of brotherhood, unity, and the words we throw around, you’ll find chase’s name right next to it,” Stephens said.

“I appreciate everybody. I love every one of ya’ll,” Snyder said.

Organizers say they don’t know exactly how much money they’ll raise today but that even just one dollar can help during this difficult time. The fundraiser is going on until midnight.

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