Grateful for a community’s support

GREENLEAF, Wis. (WBAY) -A southern Brown County community is rallying around one of its volunteer firefighters.

A few months ago, 27-year old Dillon Steinfeldt had surgery to remove a brain tumor and he is now undergoing radiation, with chemotherapy on the horizon.

It was last fall when Dillon, who works for Wiese Farms in Greenleaf and serves on the community’s fire department, started to realize something wasn’t right.

“All through last fall into winter I was getting headaches, a little blurry vision,” recalls Dillon.

“We knew he had a headache, but he had Covid back in September and they were really chalking this up to Covid,” says Sheila Steinfeldt, Dillon’s mom.

In early February though, things got worse.

“One night I was by my friend, left there and my leg just quit working and I figured it was time we should probably get it checked out,” says Dillon.

An MRI detected a tumor the size of Dillon’s fist in the front left side of his brain.

Within two weeks, he underwent surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

“They got about 95-percent and the surgeon felt that it was better to leave what he left than try to go after it and mess something up,” explains Dillon.

After six weeks recovering Dillon returned to work, but a check-up earlier this month revealed some tough news.

“Well because it grew a little bit now they’re worried a little more that it could be turning into a cancer,” says Steinfeldt, adding she’s been amazed by her son’s positive attitude.

Dillon is now undergoing aggressive treatment, including 6 weeks of radiation five days a week, followed by one year of chemotherapy starting in August.

As you can imagine, even with insurance, the medical bills are astronomical.

“The one day of his surgery was $325,000,” says Steinfeldt.

Dillon and his family are lucky though, because they live in a tight-knit community.

This coming Saturday, a benefit is being held at the Greenleaf Fireman’s Park from noon to 5pm.

“Family, friends, we couldn’t do it, I mean the love and support and prayers, we need them,” says Steinfeldt.

“Very heartwarming that everyone comes together, it’s a small town community, everybody knows everybody here and it’s really awesome everyone pulls through when times get tough,” adds Dillon.

A fund to help Dillion with medical bills has also been set up at Community First Credit Union in Bellevue.