LAKELAND, Fla. — Strong, fighter and hardworking are just a few words fellow Lakeland Fire Department firefighters used to describe fellow first responder Driver Engineer Steve Connors.
Connors is on the road to recovery after he survived "the struggle of a lifetime" since late 2019 when he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, or GBS.
GBS is a rare neurological disorder where the body's immune system mistakenly attacks nerves by your brain and spinal cord. It can be mild from brief weakness to "nearly devastating" paralysis.
For Connors, it meant initial unexplainable weakness and tingling in his limbs before developing extreme pain, paralysis and the inability to eat, walk, speak or breathe on his own.
But now, he is on the road to recovery.
"Steve is strong. Steve is a fighter. He is no stranger to hard work," the fire department wrote on Facebook about the former Army soldier and deputy. "He channeled his strength, faith, love and support from his family (fire-family included) and has overcome this hurdle in an extraordinary way!"
Through all of Connors' work and physical therapy, he has relearned how to eat and walk and is working to re-strengthen his body to return to the squad.
The fire department said he let them share his story to help inspire others through there struggles and offer hope in a challenging time.
"Steve allowed us to share his very personal story, so that it can serve to inform and INSPIRE others experiencing their own struggles, whatever they may be.
"This story of #hope and #triumph is exactly what we could all use in these challenging times," the department wrote.
Here is to a speedy recovery Driver Engineer Steve Connors!
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