WHAT IS CODE 3 FOR A CURE?
Code 3 for a Cure Foundation (C3FC) is a nonprofit 501(c)3 public charity organization approved as such by the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on September 11, 2008.
Like most worthy causes, C3FC was formed because of one person's struggles. Firefighter/ Engineer Lorenzo Abundiz (Santa Ana, California, USA), a 27-year veteran of the fire service, was first diagnosed with cancer in 1998, forced into an early medical disability retirement in 2001, and since then has been diagnosed with two other cancers.
Abundiz' first cancer was a rare and highly aggressive one called "leiomyosarcoma," located on his right side chest wall, which needed immediate treatment. Unfortunately, because Abundiz' employer denied his claim that the cancer was job related, he was not covered under the workers' compensation sytem. Thus, he was forced to rely on the general medical establishment to provide timely treatment, which was anything but timely. It took a month for a much needed surgery to be approved, and by that time the tumor had grown considerably, with the possibility of satellite cancer cells spreading.
Inspiration out of Pain and Suffering
As Abundiz lay in a hospital bed at USC Medical Center in Los Angeles recovering from kidney surgery on March 12, 2006, he was inspired to do something to help other firefighters who are going through similar struggles. Out of that moment grew Code 3 for a Cure, an organization formed specifically to help firefighters who are diagnosed with cancer and their families, as well as select nonprofits who are helping fight the war on cancer.
So what's the meaning behind the term "Code 3?" The term is used to refer to an emergency vehicle going to the highest level of response in an emergency situation, when lights and sirens are utilized. Its meaning in the context of this organization is, let's move to the highest level of response to find a cure for all cancer and, in the meantime, help those who are affected by this terrible disease.