Lifelong Carpentersville resident Ron Eglinton devoted his career to protecting and serving his community.
He spent 35 years working as a part-time firefighter and paramedic, though his family says he logged as many hours as a full-timer in any given week. He covered colleagues' shifts, responded to medical calls, fought fires and risked his own life to save others.
Now, the community is trying to return the favor.
The 66-year-old Eglinton is unable to work as he's been battling what feels like an onslaught of medical issues the past decade, he said. A heart attack led to his retirement in 2010. He recently was diagnosed with diabetes. After being admitted to the hospital with pneumonia last Thanksgiving, Eglinton discovered the only kidney he was born with is failing, and he desperately needs a new one.
In anticipation of a possible transplant surgery, Eglinton's family and friends have started a GoFundMe page to raise money for his medication and growing medical bills. The page garnered more than $2,000 in two weeks, though his daughter, Sherrie Thorson, said their efforts are far from over.
"He's a good man, he's dedicated to his family, and (he's) most definitely dedicated to the Carpentersville Fire Department and serving the community," said co-worker and longtime friend George Klebansky. "It's just kind of a terrible thing your health decides to decline at a certain point in your life. He needs our help."
Eglinton said he fell in love with the fire service from the moment he started working at the department in 1975. He basked in the thrill of fighting house fires and enjoyed the camaraderie of the department's close-knit crews. And if it weren't for his medical setbacks, he said, he would still be working among them.
"If there was an open shift, they knew who to call. I was always there to take it," Eglinton said. "I just enjoyed helping people."
Klebansky grew up living a block away from Eglinton and joined the fire department just two years after him. As the pair got older and gained more experience, Klebansky recalled, they started taking younger firefighters under their wings, sharing stories and advice.
Eglinton took his job a step further by volunteering to help seniors and playing Santa Claus during holiday breakfasts at the fire station, Thorson said.
Though devoted to his work, Eglinton has always made time for his wife and seven children, his daughter said, so it's no surprise the family is now willing to step up and help in his time of need. Family members take turns driving Eglinton to doctor appointments and helping with his daily dialysis treatments, she said. Some of his grandchildren have even offered to donate a kidney.
Eglinton is expected to meet with a doctor this month to determine a course of action.
"He dedicated so much of his time to the community," Thorson said. "We're all trying to work together to help him."
Eglinton said the support he has continued to receive from family and colleagues has been humbling. Firefighters collected money last year to help pay for the insulin that treats his diabetes. Former Fire Chief John Schuldt honored him with a chief helmet, and crews visited him in the hospital during a recent stay.
To Klebansky, there is no one more deserving of the assistance. In addition to donating and promoting the GoFundMe page, he said, firefighters may consider other fundraising options during Eglinton's treatment.
"I'm really appreciative of the money that's coming in," Eglinton said. "I'm very, very happy about what they all do for me."
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