Dearborn Police Dispatcher Returns to Medical School Following Cancer Fight

A Dearborn police dispatcher isn't letting a battle with cancer block his dream of becoming a doctor.

Justin Darragh, who has worked as a dispatcher and police reserve for nearly five years, will begin medical school at Wayne State University in July. 

In 2022, Darragh was diagnosed with epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, an aggressive cancer that affects the vascular areas of the body. A chest X-ray revealed a large growth next to his heart.

"I remember thinking before that I was diagnosed with all of this that I was really excited about starting graduate school and then applying to medical school, and then after I was diagnosed, I wasn't sure if I was gonna be around in a year," Darragh said in an interview with 7 News Detroit.

He had two surgeries to remove the tumor in August 2022, followed by open-heart surgery in 2023. Doctors now report no traces of active cancer cells, although Darragh will need monitoring every six months throughout his lifetime.

Lt. Leah Bronson, director of the Dearborn Police Department's dispatch center, heralded Darragh's work.

"Like he is a perfect dispatcher. We are really going to miss him," Bronson said in a statement to 7 News Detroit.

Darrah added that the support of his colleagues, friends, family, and the EHE Foundation inspired him to become a doctor and help others dealing with medical conditions.

"I've encountered people who were also sick, especially people who wanted to become doctors who had cancer and weren't able to, you know, they died from the disease or things became too hard with whatever the effects of treatment became," Darragh said. "So I'm really glad that hopefully this will be some hope for people going through it too,"