Family and friends of Officer Christopher Kudla have started a GoFundMe account to support Chris in his battle with cancer.
“Being an officer has been so much a part of my life for so long; it is like no other career, because you’re that police officer 24-7,” said Kudla, who also worked in Lyons and Montgomery over the last 14 years. “I love what I do. I love being on the street and interacting with people, and I love helping people who need help.”
Those reasons push Kudla to continue working his shift despite being diagnosed last month with an extremely rare form of cancer – Stage 4 metastatic papillary renal cell carcinoma – a day before his 46th birthday. Kudla noticed a lump near his neck which led doctors to perform a CT scan that showed a baseball-size tumor on his right kidney and that the cancer had spread through most of the lymph nodes in his body.
During treatment Officer Kudla is still working the 3-11 shift and serving the residents of Riverside with honor.
Chief Tom Weitzel said, “On behalf of Chris and his family, I’m asking for much needed assistance from the community. There is a GoFundMe account set up for Officer Kudla and donations will go toward his medical bills and to alleviate financial strain on the Kudla family, which includes his wife of 11 years, Tricia, and two daughters.”
Even though Kudla only joined Riverside in March, he’s already made an impact, according to Chief Tom Weitzel.
“In Riverside, the roll call room is right next to my office. Every day that he works, he walks out of roll call, by my office and says, ‘Good afternoon, Chief. How are you doing?’” Weitzel said. “Imagine that. He wants to know how I am doing. What an inspiration he is to me and the entire department. I cannot say enough about how proud I am to have him as a Riverside police officer. Chris is an outstanding officer, but more importantly, he’s just a fantastic human being and family man. I have assured Chris and his family that my department and I will stand by him through this entire battle,” Weitzel added.
To make a donation, visit GoFundMe.com or GoFundMe campaign.