Over four days, Bert Ramon helped move senior citizens to dry land and scooped desperate children to safety.
Nothing was going to stop this Houston police officer from doing his part during Hurricane Harvey — not even stage 4 colon cancer.
Bert Ramon, a 24-year veteran of the department, has helped rescue nearly 1,500 people since the flooding started more than a week ago, CBS News reported.
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"The public comes first," he said. "We're officers. That's what we do... As long as I feel good, I feel healthy, I'm going to go out there and work."
Before the flood, Ramon had been put on desk duty. But when the hurricane barreled into the city, he was desperate to help out, despite his colleagues' concerns.
"I said, 'Hey, I'm fine.' I said, 'Don't hold me back. I'll go wherever I need to be,'" he said
His cancer had spread to his liver and lungs, and with a low blood platelet count, he could bruise and bleed easily. But his wife knew that wouldn't stop him.
"There's no way I can tell him, 'You can't go,'" Cindy Ramon told CBS News. "He says, 'I'm goin'.'"
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Over four days, he worked with the city's lake patrol team. He moved senior citizens to dry land and scooped desperate children to safety.
On Sunday, he underwent his latest round of chemo at a cancer treatment center in Tulsa, Okla. He'll return for another treatment in two weeks.
"I hope I can inspire other cancer patients that, you know, don't let this hold you back," he told CBS News. "If you feel strong, don't let it take over your life at all."
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