New fire hall dedicated to Fort McMurray firefighter 'Unbreakable Bo'
David Thurton | CBC News | Posted: October 24, 2018 12:00 PM | Last Updated: October 24, 2018
'He was a firefighter down to the bone'
Fort McMurray firefighter Bo Cooper's battle with leukemia captured the hearts of many around Alberta. Now his name will live on in a place he loved.
Wood Buffalo Regional Emergency Services renamed its new fire hall in the community of Anzac, Alta., after Cooper.
"He was a firefighter down to the bone," Cooper's mother Carla Cooper told CBC Tuesday.
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Cooper died in November 2016. The 27-year-old lost his battle with leukemia, but not without a fight.
Cooper was diagnosed when he was 20 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of cancer where the bone marrow makes too many white blood cells, which then become unable to fight infections.
Cooper's family and the community rallied and raised $880,000 to help fund experimental CAR T-cell treatment, which at the time was only available in the United States.
His battle had the community of Fort McMurray and beyond huddled in the professional MMA fighter's corner.
After he died, firefighters from across Alberta gathered in Fort McMurray for a funeral to honour their young colleague, known as "Unbreakable Bo."
Family surprised by hall dedication
Cooper's father and mother were at the dedication of the fire hall in Anzac on Saturday.
They suspected something was in the works, but didn't realize the fire hall would be named after their son.
"We kind of heard wind of it. One of the members of the fire hall was talking about doing some sort of dedication to Bo," Carla said. "It was a surprise. We are definitely humbled."
Anzac is a hamlet about 40 kilometres south of Fort McMurray and the family lives nearby in Gregoire Lake Estates.
Cooper followed in his dad's footsteps and at the age of 16 became a junior volunteer firefighter at the Anzac fire hall.
He eventually went on to become a full-time firefighter in Fort McMurray but his roots remained in Anzac, his mom said, where he was born and raised.
The new fire hall is needed, she said, adding the old one was too small for the needs of the rural hamlet that is growing quickly with workers and traffic from nearby oilsands sites.
The new $1-million fire hall was built because the community was "out-growing the current facility," the municipality said on its website.
Carla Cooper hopes the facility reminds people of her son's determined spirit.
A black stone plaque outside the new hall notes his never give-up attitude.
"Bo fought bravely as he had as a firefighter," it reads. "But some fights aren't won no matter how well fought."
The plaque also says Cooper has left a lasting medical legacy: "Lessons learned from Bo's illness and treatment have since resulted in a 70 per cent success rate for those who have followed."
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