Cherokee Firefighter Explorer Loses Battle With Leukemia

CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA — After fighting leukemia four times since 2011, a local teen has ultimately lost his battle with cancer.

Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services Director of Public Affairs, Tim Cavender said the department is sad to announce that their dear friend, Logan Droke, passed away Sunday night.

Droke was a 17-year-old who recently graduated from Creekview High School. He was also a Cherokee County Fire Explorer.

During his time in the hospital, Droke received numerous videos of support from firefighters throughout the country, Cavender said. He lost his battle last night at MD Anderson Hospital in Houston, Texas.

"Please remember Logan's family during this difficult time," Cavender said. "Logan's father is also a firefighter with Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services."

Droke was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in 2011 when he was 9-years-old. The cancer went into remission, but came back in 2015 and went into remission again and came back again last summer. His doctors decided to have him undergo CAR-T Therapy. This is a type of treatment in which a patient's cells are changed in the laboratory, so they will attack cancerous cells.

Droke began feeling better after this therapy and experienced eight months of a somewhat normal life for a teen. Unfortunately, his cancer resurfaced again. His doctors began chemotherapy and are urgently looking into trial treatment options which may include traveling to another state for treatment.

To make matters worse, Droke's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2018. Because it was caught early and treated swiftly, she is now doing well, but still has to undergo some additional surgery. The family at home also consists of three other school-aged children and an insulin-dependent grandparent who also needs care.

Cavender said Droke is definitely a fighter, and he expressed his thoughts by saying this in a recent essay he had written, "Throughout my life I have always known my dad to be a hard worker and if he really wanted to do something he would do his best to make it happen. When my dad started the process to become a firefighter I was amazed. I always knew he was going to make it in, but the amount of effort he put in was just the greatest thing I have been able to witness my dad do. He was 45-years-old when he decided to make this career change (the oldest guy in his training class) while working another job at the same time as his training. He would train all day, come home and study, do his other job, take care of us and start all over the next day. Watching him never give up and never complain has helped me in my fight against my cancer. 'Whatever it takes' is the motto that my dad has passed down to me. When he puts his mind to it, my father has to finish whatever he has started. Quitting and giving up is never an option for him. While my dad was going through his training to become a firefighter, my cancer came back. There have been many months of treatment and hospital stays, but I know because of my dad's example and having him at my side that I will never give up, I will fight hard and do whatever it takes."

Firefighters from all over the country have sent short videos to Logan encouraging him to stay strong. According to Lt. Brady Cornelison, a Cherokee County firefighter at Station No.1, "(Logan) has had get well wishes from fire departments throughout the state, plus, he has also heard from departments in Las Vegas, Florida, Texas and New Jersey, too."