By Nina Golgowski New York Daily News
After a courageous fight in an unfair battle, an 8-year-old honorary member of New York City’s Bravest has lost his fight against cancer. Colin Flood, the son of retired Fort Greene firefighter and 9/11 responder Kevin Flood, died Sunday. His leukemia returned in November after a 14-month remission.
“Heaven received a new Angel today,” his heartbroken father posted on Facebook with a link to the sorrowful song “Dancing in the Sky” by Dani and Lizzy.
The courageous boy died an honorary firefighter after being sworn in at FDNY’s Medal Day earlier this month.
Standing before Mayor DeBlasio and Engine 210 firefighters, Colin was presented with a medal for the bravery and courage he had shown after his devastating diagnosis, according to his mother, Jennifer Flood. She described herself on Facebook as “forever heartbroken” following the loss of her son.
“He fought as hard as he could for as long as he could, but a fight against leukemia is not a fair fight for an eight-year-old boy,” she wrote. “I still can’t believe this is real and he has lost this battle. We will be forever heartbroken and our world destroyed.”
Colin was just 6 when he was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia. He underwent a bone marrow transplant in 2013, and after last year’s stunning news that his cancer had returned, his family embarked on a desperate bid to find another bone marrow match.
“They didn’t see it coming, he looked so good,” his father told the Daily News in December. “We just went in for procedures stuff. He felt some pain in his back, nothing too crazy. We just thought it was something they should check out.”
Kevin Flood described the new round against leukemia as 10 times harder for his son, but said they remained hopeful.
In his final weeks, the boy met with New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and Navy SEAL Team 6 member Mark Owen. He underwent numerous trial drugs with no positive outcome.
Still, the 8-year-old is remembered by friends and family for his strength and positive spirit he held onto in his last days.
“Colin was an inspiration to all, he put up such a good fight … A Hero in the true sense of the word,” Lois Denza Francisci wrote on Kevin Flood’s Facebook wall.
A funeral service for Colin is scheduled for Thursday at Our Lady of Hope Church in Middle Village.
The family is asking that in lieu of flowers, donations in Colin’s memory be made to the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund, which provides families battling childhood cancer with financial, homecare and emotional assistance, or St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a volunteer charity that helps fund research to cure childhood cancers.
