Days after firefighter's death, his widow got a special message reminding her he is always there
A man's love for his family surpasses all mortal boundaries! A firefighter who lost his life battling cancer wanted to be with his family on Christmas but sadly, destiny had a different plan. Therefore, he did something that broke his family down to bits in a bitter-sweet moment of longing and happiness.
Troy and Lori Jackson's story begins in the 1980s when they were high school sweethearts. All Troy ever wanted was to marry Lori and one day become a firefighter just like his father was, reports Fox 5. He achieved both these dreams and went on to become the father of two lovely children.
"When Troy and I started dating in high school, I got that early exposure to firehouse life," Lori Jackson said. Not only did he fulfilled his dream of becoming a fireman but he also became an assistant chief at South Metro Fire Rescue.
The job of a fireman was not only his passion but had become the motive of his life as he always wanted to save lives. But little did he know that this noble dream of his will one day become the reason for his departure from the world. According to Fox 5, Troy was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma in 2014, a type of cancer that is quite common among firefighters and those who spend a lot of time in and around smoke, fumes, and carcinogens.
"People would always say, 'Hey, Chief, you're looking great, way to beat it!' They didn’t know he would never beat this, and it was never in remission. It was just a matter to taking care of what currently was impacting him," Lori Jackson said.
Sadly, Lori was right! In December, Troy Jackson died at the age of 51.
While his ceremonial last call took place at his funeral, another call from Troy came on Christmas day and it could melt the toughest of hearts. The message to Lori said, in part, “Just wanted to say hi, to tell you I love ya, I miss ya, super proud of you. Just been thinking about you and thought you might be thinking about me. Just reminiscing a little bit about how well we did life together," per Fox 5.
As per his ethical will, Troy Jackson wanted this message to be played to his wife during her first Christmas Day without him. "He thanked me for choosing him to do life with him because we were pretty different in high school. Reminded me he was always with me," said an emotional Lori.
Troy Jackson’s recording went on to say, "It was one hell of a run. I can’t tell you how much I love ya. Keep your chin up. I know there will be tough days ahead, but always know I love you more than anything."
This 1.16-minute message brought her and their children to tears. This is another way of Troy saying that he will never be too far away from them and will always watch over them. He will take care of them as he always did, only now, from heaven!