Finely Brown isn’t like most 6-year-olds. For one thing, she’s incredibly confident and outgoing, and for another, she’s been battling kidney cancer since June.

Though Finley has gone through rounds of chemotherapy and lost her hair, she hasn’t lost her spirit and desire to make new friends. Her ability to make connections with people has led to a group of firefighters giving her a ride in their firetruck to her final chemo treatment at Oakland’s UCSF Benloff Children’s Hospital.

Finley Brown
Finley quickly became friends with firefighters of the Moraga-Orinda squad. Facebook

“We’ve always taught our kids that whenever they see a fireman or a police officer or a soldier, it’s nice to approach them and thank them for keeping us safe,” Finley’s mother, A.J. Brown, told TODAY. During a festival this summer, Finley spotted a group of firefighters and decided to start talking to them.

“Finley caught our eye because she didn’t have any hair, and then because she started talking to us — this little girl had a ton of confidence,” Lucas Lambert, one of the firefighters who met Finley that day, told TODAY. “She wasn’t shy at all. She introduced both her little brother and babysitter to us and had no problems asking questions. And then she went on to tell us her story and started showing off her scars and telling us what she had been through in the past month or so.”

Finley Brown
Finley Brown and her parents after she finished her last round of chemotherapy. Facebook
Finley Brown
Finley Brown poses with her firefighter friends. Facebook

In addition to getting to know the family and becoming close friends with Finley, the Moraga Orinda firefighters planned a fundraiser that raised money for the Browns to go to Disneyland once her treatment was complete.

“They’ve just been incredible, fireman Lucas in particular,” A.J. Brown told TODAY. “Like we didn’t have enough reasons to love firemen already! They put their lives on the line to keep people safe every day, and on top of that, they do amazing things like this.”