About Me
I’m William Brudi, a firefighter. I felt completely fine going into 2022 — no symptoms, nothing to suggest anything was wrong.
How This Started
My Fire Department sponsored a routine cancer screening in January 2022. I almost didn’t go. My wife encouraged me, and thank God I listened.
What I Noticed
I didn’t notice anything myself — no red flags, no changes I would have caught on my own. The screening found a 2.6 cm tumor in my bladder that I had no idea was there.
My Decisions Along the Way
I almost skipped the screening entirely. Choosing to go, at my wife’s encouragement, was the decision that mattered most — everything else followed from that.
Why It Was Easy to Wait
I felt fine, and it would have been easy to assume a sponsored screening wasn’t worth the time.
The Moment Things Changed
The screening itself was the turning point — finding a 2.6 cm tumor I had no symptoms of turned an ordinary appointment into the start of my cancer treatment.
What Happened Next
Because the tumor was caught through the screening, I moved into treatment: two surgeries and three years of BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin) therapy.
What Would Have Helped Sooner
Nothing would have caught this sooner than the sponsored screening already did — the lesson here is not to skip that kind of screening even when you feel fine.
What I Learned and What I Want Others to Know
Bladder cancer can be linked to smoke inhalation, and for firefighters like me, that risk is real. We take in chemicals, toxins, and smoke every shift, and cancer is the leading cause of firefighter line-of-duty deaths. Since my diagnosis, I’ve started paying much closer attention to my body — energy, sleep, weight, skin color, bathroom habits — and changed my diet. At my 3.5-year check-up in August 2025, I heard the words I’d been waiting for: all clear, no new tumors. If you notice persistent health changes, such as red in your urine, share them with a doctor immediately. Even if you feel 100% fine, it’s still a good idea to get checked regularly.
Changes I Noticed
Blood in urine.
