{"id":247441,"date":"2014-06-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-06-23T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/against-all-odds\/"},"modified":"2014-06-23T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-06-23T07:00:00","slug":"against-all-odds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/against-all-odds\/","title":{"rendered":"Against all odds"},"content":{"rendered":"

San Diego Fire-Rescue Deputy Chief Lorraine Hutchinson is Komen’s 2014 ‘Honorary Breast Cancer Survivor’<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Monica Medina | Uptown News<\/p>\n

Lorraine Hutchinson was born to be a firefighter. Standing at almost five feet nine inches tall, she\u2019s got the grit and no-nonsense sensibility to get the job done. Add to that, a cool demeanor and a passion for helping people, and she\u2019s a regular Johnny-on-the-spot.<\/p>\n

The South Carolina native, who moved to San Diego fresh out of high school, didn’t start out to be a firefighter. It wasn\u2019t even on her horizon. Hutchinson was a medical assistant at San Diego State\u2019s health center. While there, someone noticed how calm and reassuring she was during moments of crises, and encouraged her to consider the profession.<\/p>\n

\"Deputy<\/a>
Deputy Chief Lorraine Hutchinson and her father, Lorenza “Choker” Carter (Courtesy Lorraine Hutchinson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For Hutchinson, having never seen a female firefighter in action, the idea seemed implausible. Yet once she learned more about the nature of the job and what it took to become one, she was all in.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy original goal was to be a nurse because I\u2019ve always wanted to be in the medical field,\u201d she explained. \u201cNot many know, though, that as firefighters what we do is 85 percent medical. There are 47 engine companies in the city and there are much less than that in ambulances, so we usually get there first. I quickly knew this was the job for me. I get to do medical work that I love and also deal with emergencies.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was 28 years ago and today, at 49, Hutchinson is Deputy Chief in the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, Station 14 in North Park. Despite challenges along the way, Hutchinson, who is one of four female chiefs and the highest ranking among them, has made it in what has been traditionally a man’s world.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came on, things were a lot different than they are now,\u201d she observed. \u201cThere was an old school way of thinking. There were guys still on the job who felt that this was a man\u2019s job. Things have evolved since then, and the department doesn\u2019t tolerate such thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being a fire fighter is physically demanding work, particularly so for women who, like their male counterparts, must drag water hoses and lift heavy ladders.<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen tend to have less upper body strength than men,\u201d Hutchinson noted. \u201cWe have to work on that and compensate in other ways. We also put stresses on ourselves, but I can\u2019t say it\u2019s a bad thing. It’s kept me on my feet my whole career. I am where I am today because I don\u2019t relax or become complacent. I feel I have to be at the top of my game, and that\u2019s how I got to where I got.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Hutchinson<\/a>
Hutchinson and other women in the San Diego Fire Department (Courtesy Lorraine Hutchinson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 2012, being at the top of her game became a challenge when Hutchinson was hit with a double-whammy. First she was diagnosed with diabetes. Soon after, she was called in for a follow-up to a routine mammogram.\u00a0 Only, she didn\u2019t go at first.<\/p>\n

Already on a special diet to lose weight because of the diabetes, and with a lot on her mind due to work and other activities, she figured the follow-up visit could wait. After all, her doctor\u2019s office did say it was \u201cnothing to worry about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was working and going to National University to get my degree,\u201d she explained. \u201cI was really busy and if I didn\u2019t have all that going on in my life, I would\u2019ve gone back sooner. I also had a belief that nothing could be wrong with me since I didn\u2019t have a family history of breast cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

When her schedule eased a bit, she decided it was time for that follow-up.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was several months later,” she recalled, \u201cand that\u2019s all I\u2019m saying. If I had a chance to do it differently, I definitely would.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time, Hutchinson didn\u2019t realize that breast cancer is the most common cancer among African American women. According to Susan G. Komen San Diego, which recently named Hutchinson the 2014 Honorary Breast Cancer Survivor, while incidence rates are lower than they are for white women, mortality rates among African American women are 41 percent higher.<\/p>\n

When the results came in that Hutchinson had breast cancer, her firefighter instincts kicked in. Only this time, instead of helping others, she\u2019d be helping herself beat the odds.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would\u2019ve been very easy for me to lay around and be depressed,\u201d she said, \u201cbut I knew at the end of the treatment, I wanted to be better physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, so I had to take steps to do that. Every day during chemo I walked. I pushed myself, and remember walking down a hill and then trying to walk back, but I couldn\u2019t. I had to call someone to come get me. So I started walking just around my house. Walking helped me get back my strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Hutchinson, having a mastectomy was a no-brainer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could keep my breast and die or I could have a mastectomy,\u201d she surmised. \u201cNo second thoughts. I really liked having my breasts but it did not weigh into my decision as to whether I was going to have a mastectomy. Not even close.\u201d<\/p>\n

In explaining why Susan G. Komen San Diego chose to honor Hutchinson, Executive Director Laura Farmer Sherman stated, \u201cLorraine is so deserving of this honor because her story encompasses the story we are working to convey. We need to rewrite the African American woman\u2019s story about breast cancer and Lorraine is going to help lead the way there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through it all, Hutchinson has had the support of friends, family and colleagues, including her husband, Steve Hutchinson, her daughter, two stepdaughters and a granddaughter. But there\u2019s one in particular, whose guidance and encouragement has meant the world. Lorenza \u201cChoker\u201d Carter, her father.\u00a0 Her eyes teared thinking of him, and how he endured a life of hardships, including growing up in an abusive environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father inspires me,\u201d she confided. \u201cHe\u2019s been a role model for me and has taught me so many things. He came out here at 16 with his clothes in a paper bag, and then had this amazing career in the Navy with 17 promotions, retiring as a lieutenant commander. That\u2019s where I got my drive to rise through the ranks. When I told him I wanted to do this job, he never questioned it. All he did was support me and let me be me. Even when he found out I have cancer, he was very sad. He told me I\u2019d get through it. He is my number one fan, besides my husband.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thanks to a rigorous regimen of walking 20,000 steps every day, mostly on steep hills along Florida and Upas streets by Morley Field, she is now diabetes and cancer free.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope to inspire people with my story,\u201d she said. \u201cLast year at this time I had just finished my last chemotherapy treatment. I feel good to be back at work. I needed to get back to something normal, back to helping folks and having people need my help.<\/p>\n

“Whatever your challenges are, make it a positive experience. Nobody wants to have cancer but if you can be better than you were, I just see it as a blessing. The fact that I get to help people and share my story and hopefully save lives, that\u2019s a bonus.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

San Diego Fire-Rescue Deputy Chief Lorraine Hutchinson is Komen’s 2014 ‘Honorary Breast Cancer Survivor’ By Monica Medina | Uptown News Lorraine Hutchinson was born to be a firefighter. Standing at almost five feet nine inches tall, she\u2019s got the grit and no-nonsense sensibility to get the job done. Add to that, a cool demeanor and […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":247442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11555","_seopress_titles_title":"Against all odds","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11547,11551,11555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-247441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-news","category-uptown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247441","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247441"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247441\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}