Why a Bethlehem firefighter's daughter is making the case for cancer screenings

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Angela Malpedo's father served 25 years as a Bethlehem firefighter.

When he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma following his retirement, he linked the cancer to work-related causes, just like many of the men he worked with.

Lewis Malpedo battled the illness for three years and died at age 68 in February 2020.

Today, Angela Malpedo is an advocate for cancer patients, most recently joining the board of directors for the Cancer Support Community of the Greater Lehigh Valley about two months ago.

She was on hand Friday as Gov. Josh Shapiro visited the Bethlehem Fire Department to detail investments aimed at supporting Pennsylvania’s first responders, as outlined in the governor's 2025-26 budget proposal.

His visit came five days after a suspected arson at the governor’s residence in Harrisburg.

Paying for cancer screenings

One of the initiatives Shapiro hopes to fund as part of a $30 million grant program is annual cancer screenings covered at the state level.

“Firefighters expose themselves to toxic chemicals while on the job to keep us safe,” Shapiro said at Memorial Fire Station on Broad Street. “We owe it to them to make sure they have peace of mind.”

Malpedo said her father was always aware of the risks of the job, and went to the doctor every six months for checkups. However, she said, he was shocked when he got his diagnosis in his mid-60s.

Malpedo said her father's experience inspired her to get involved in advocacy. She said the support any patient receives is crucial, whether it’s spreading awareness or researching preventions.

“The main thing is having that community piece, where you feel you have support and people to lean on, but also those resources, which are so vital when people are trying to navigate that road and don’t know where to turn,” she said.

She said when her father was first diagnosed, a lot of his treatments weren’t covered by health insurance and her family had to work hard, looking for different avenues of financial support.

Under Pennsylvania law, firefighters are covered by city-funded health insurance for five years after their retirement. Malpedo said her father missed that cut-off.

The lack of state support and resources was hard on the Malpedo family, she said, especially considering her father served the Bethlehem community.

She said it shouldn’t matter how long it has been since a firefighter has served — they should all receive the same health benefits.

“These men and women are putting their lives on the line every day,” she said.

Support network

In order to support her father, she said her family created a GoFundMe. Eventually, she said, Foundation 58, a nonprofit group that supports first responders, was the first organization to provide her family with a grant.

While Foundation 58 provides great support, Malpedo said the organization is relatively small and the need for grants keeps growing, which means sometimes there aren't enough resources to provide for everyone affected.

“Those (nonprofits) shouldn't even have to exist because it should just be something that happens automatically,” she said. “You shouldn’t have to fight for what is needed.”

State Rep. Jennifer O’Mara, D-Delaware, spoke at the news conference Friday, discussing the reason behind the years she put into pressing for legislation for first responders with post traumatic stress injuries.

She said she ran for office because she was inspired by her father's service; he was a firefighter in the Philadelphia Fire Department for 25 years.

“(He was) one of those people who ran into danger when everyone else was running away,” she said.

While sharing her father’s story, O’Mara said both physical and mental health resources need to be accessible for first responders.

Thirty minutes after completing a shift with the Philadelphia Fire Department, O’Mara said, her father took his own life.

“As I grew older and more aware of other first responders dealing with mental health issues, I decided to run for office to make my dad’s legacy the paramount issue that I worked on in Harrisburg,” she said.

Mental and physical health

O’Mara said mental health is only one piece of the puzzle. Residing in an area with mostly volunteer firefighters, she said this budget proposal is more crucial than ever to help fire departments recruit and retain first responders, as well as provide them with the equipment they need to save lives.

It’s also crucial, she said, in supporting firefighters with protecting their physical health.

Cancer caused 66% of the career firefighter line-of-duty deaths from 2002 to 2019, according to the International Association of Fire Fighters.

Robert Brooks, president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association, worked 20 years as a Bethlehem firefighter before retiring in March.

O’Mara said he has been one of her most helpful partners in working toward more supportive legislation for first responders.

If passed, Brooks said of Shapiro’s proposal, it has the potential to make sure firefighters receive the care they need and departments have adequate equipment.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in firefighter turnout gear has been linked to causing cancer.

As more research is conducted, the Bethlehem Fire Department is trying to switch out certain gear and materials that contain PFAS for alternative options.

Brooks said the money allocated in Shapiro's budget proposal can help the fire department invest in those alternatives.

“Early detection makes a significant difference in the [cancer] treatment outcomes, and removing the PFAS, the forever chemicals, from our gear and from the foam, is essential,” he said.

Melpedo said she is glad to see state-level action to support first responders, but there is still much more work to be done.

“Any sort of advocacy and also support for these men and women is huge,” she said. “There’s still a long way to go, but this is a good first step.”