VIDEO: A retired San Francisco firefighter, who spent nearly two decades willingly putting his life on the line for others, now finds himself fighting for survival while in a battle against his own insurance company.
“You just automatically depend on that insurance being there,” said an emotional Ken Jones, who retired in 2012 after working for the San Francisco fire department for 17 years. “I expected to be taken care of.” Jones, 71, was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer last year, which has left him with painful tumors growing in his bones, lymph nodes, and brain.
Jones’ doctor believes the Stage 4 cancer is linked to Jones’ time on the front lines as a firefighter. Ongoing exposure to smoke and other chemicals pose such a danger, the World Health Organization, beginning in 2022, started classifying firefighting as a “carcinogen.” Leading up to his cancer diagnosis last year, Ken Jones has long been an avid cyclist and fitness enthusiast.
His doctor believes his Stage 4 lung cancer is linked to Jones’ 17 years working as a San Francisco firefighter. The first denial letter Part of Jones’ medical treatment, which was prescribed by his oncologist, was recently denied by his insurance company.
KNTV NBC 11 San Jose