Pink fire hydrant offers hope for downtown Glen Ellyn employee

GLEN ELLYN – As soon as Barbara Doherty saw the pink fire hydrant at Main and Duane streets, she felt like it was a sign that everything was going to be just fine after recently completing treatment for breast cancer. The hydrant was painted pink by accident, but after hearing Doherty's story, the village of Glen Ellyn will let it remain pink through October.

“Everybody’s like, ‘They did this for you,’” she said. “I told the fire chief that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and asked him to keep it pink. He said he’d see what he could do.”

The hydrant was the first to be painted after the village painted some antique hydrants red a few weeks ago. Workers were applying white primer to the now-pink hydrant, but there was residue from the red paint in the paint gun. The two colors mixed, and the result was a pink fire hydrant.

Doherty, 53, a Glendale Heights resident and an optician at Glen Ellyn Vision Center, noticed the hydrant right outside of her workplace and thought it was done for her because Glen Ellyn Volunteer Fire CompanyChief Jim Bodony knew she was going through treatment.

She said the chief told her he wished he could take credit for the pink hydrant and recounted what actually happened. However, the village did do something special for Doherty after learning her story.

“An email was sent to the village and it got passed around, and they decided to make a laminated pink ribbon and put it right on the hydrant,” she said. “I thought it was such a sweet gesture when they put the ribbon on. It brought up such emotion. I was surprised and honored.”

Glen Ellyn Public Works Director Julius Hansen said he wished it “was more of a planned thing.”

“It’s just a coincidence, but we did the right thing by recognizing that someone was inspired by this,” he said. “So rather than just repainting it yellow, we decided to do something unique and beneficial.”

Hansen said because the pink is just primer, he’s not sure how long it will last without paint. But he’s in no hurry to change the hydrant’s color.

“I think once people hear the story, they’ll get a kick out of it,” he said. “Perhaps it is divine intervention. It’s just a neat thing.”

Doherty was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer in July after a screening mammogram. She had a lumpectomy and was treated with brachytherapy, which is a concentrated radiation treatment that targets only the site where the lump was located.

“As of Sept. 21, I am cancer free, and I didn’t have to go through chemo,” Doherty said. “After the diagnosis, how everything played out, it happened for a reason, and happened for the better. Just the support, well-wishes, plus the pink fire hydrant, I just knew that everything was going to be OK.”

Doherty hopes the pink hydrant will serve as a reminder for women to get screened for breast cancer.

“I want everyone to get a mammogram and get checked out. It could save your life because it saved mine,” she said. “Everyone’s just thrilled about the hydrant. I mean, how many people do you know who have a fire hydrant in their honor? Probably none.”