CRAMERTON, N.C. — Joey Pullen, a Cramerton firefighter who was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, got a boost Thursday, lifting his spirits.
It was the first time Shield 23 Foundation presented a gift to a firefighter in North Carolina.
Pullen, who said he will die from cancer, accepted a check from Shield 23 Foundation, which will help with bills.
He said it’s hard to accept help because he made a living helping others.
“(A) loss for words when it comes to receiving help from people,” he said.
The former Cramerton Firefighter of the Year was stunned two years ago when learned he had pancreatic cancer.
“They told me it was terminally ill,” he said. “I was thinking, ‘Man, I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to leave my family.’”
He accepted that it would take his life, but it didn’t have to take his spirit.
“(Doctors) told me a little over a year ago I only have three months to live, and I refused to give up,” he said.
The pain recently got so bad that doctors increased Pullen’s medication Thursday, so the gift came at the right time.
“There are still good people out there that will rally around you to help you,” he said.
Pullen said felt that and it fueled his fire.
“Until I take my last breath, I’m going to fight this and do what I can to be here for other people,” he said. “I will continue to do what I can as long as God leaves me here to do.”
Pullen said he doesn’t know how much longer he will live, but he hopes it’s long enough to give someone the kind of love he got Thursday.
VIDEO: Investigation underway after cars catch fire at Cramerton apartment complex
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
