Houston police officer with stage 4 cancer helps rescue almost 1,500 people in Harvey aftermath

Bert Ramon, a Houston police officer battling cancer, helped rescue nearly 1,500 people in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Harvey, according to CBS News.

The 24-year police veteran is undergoing treatment for stage 4 colon cancer, which has spread to his liver and lungs as well. Ramon undergoes chemotherapy treatments in Tulsa, Oklahoma, every two weeks.

He told CBS that he worked during Hurricanes Alison and Rita, but said Harvey was like the “apocalypse.”

“It was just unreal," Ramon said.

Ramon revealed that while he underwent cancer treatment, he had been stuck on desk duty, but when the storm hit, he knew he had to act.

"I said, 'Hey, I'm fine.' I said, 'Don't hold me back. I'll go wherever I need to be,'" he said.

Ramon spent four days in dangerous conditions, helping to rescue children and residents of an assisted-living facility.

He said there was never a moment where he regretted going out into the floodwaters.

"God answered my prayer. It came out of this flood," Ramon said. "I hope I can inspire other cancer patients that you know don't let this hold you back. If you feel strong, don't let it take over your life at all."

He did pause to tell his wife, Cindy, that he was all right, sending her a picture of himself giving her a thumbs up.

"That's me giving a thumbs up that I'm OK. Don't let everybody worry about me," Ramon said.

CBS interviewed Ramon at a Cancer Treatment Center, where he had just undergone his latest round of chemotherapy.

Diana Reed, Ramon's case manager, told CBS that when Cindy Ramon told her that Bert planned to work during the storm, "I just said he does know his platelet counts are low? So he can bump, bruise, bleed easily? She says, ‘I know but it's what he wants to do.’"

Cindy explained to CBS, "There's no way I can tell him you can't go. He looks at me and says you're crazy. He says, 'I'm going.' 'I'm going in.'"

Ramon said, "As long as I feel good, I feel healthy, I'm going to go out there and work, you know.”

“And it hasn't slowed me down yet,” he said. “Thank God."

(H/T: Inside Edition)