PHOTOS: Firefighter Honored at Retirement Gathering

Friends and family gathered around to wish him well in his retirement Thursday night at .

Beckett, who is battling esophageal cancer, retired in August after 23 years as a firefighter in Kent. The decision to retire because of his cancer was a difficult one that here on Kent Patch.

His wife, Heidi, gave a brief update on his medical condition. She told the crowd, which filled the station's basement, that they were stopping chemotherapy treatment until he could put on some more weight and regain some of his strength. The esophageal cancer makes eating solid foods almost impossible — something that makes therapy even more difficult.

On a positive note, Heidi said they were successful in their appeal for Don to receive disability benefits because of his illness.