He put others first. Now his fellow firefighters are stepping up for him.
FDNY firefighter Santiago Ruiz is recovering at home after suffering a brain hemorrhage that required emergency surgery.
Ruiz was temporarily assigned to Ladder 39 in the Bronx when he began experiencing severe headaches that lasted for days.
“From the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep, it was just terrible pain,” Ruiz said.
Despite the pain, he continued responding to 911 calls, relying on Tylenol to get through his shifts.
He decided to wait until the workweek ended to seek medical attention. That’s when doctors discovered he had an active brain hemorrhage.
“They’re like, hey, it turns out you have a brain hemorrhage going on right now, like it’s active,” Ruiz said. “It hit me like a ton of bricks.”
The Queens man underwent emergency surgery and now faces a lengthy recovery that could keep him away from work for months or longer.
A few of his fellow firefighters from Engine 319 launched a GoFundMe to help ease the financial burden on Ruiz and his family while he recovers.
“The FDNY is more than a job; it’s a family,” the firefighters wrote on the fundraising page, adding that they hope to help the family focus on his health and recovery.
Ruiz said the fundraiser came as a surprise and expressed gratitude for the support he has received from the department.
He is also looking forward to spending more time with his daughter after missing her birthday while hospitalized.
“I’m very grateful that because of the way things happened, you know, yeah, I missed her last birthday. But I’ll be able to make all her, you know, all of her next birthdays,” Ruiz said.