KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In first grade, Jordan Fitch met Graham Hoffman. They didn't know then their friendship would continue for two decades.
Fitch knew Hoffman before he chose a path as a firefighter and paramedic.
Over the years, sports were one of the ways they bonded.
The pair bought season tickets to the upcoming Chiefs season.
“He could drive the golf ball like it’s going out of style," Fitch said. "Then, also on our softball team, if he was coming up to bat, you just knew. If we needed one, we can count on him."
KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson asked Fitch what type of friend Hoffman was in their inner circle.
“He knew how to light up a room," Fitch said. "He knew how to make everybody laugh and feel welcome.”
From grade school to adulthood, Graham and Fitch were inseparable.
They've experienced the ups and downs of life together, including losing mutual friends.
Fitch said: "...Going through that together too and just weddings, graduations for everybody...it’s been like a whole life together.”
Graham, according to his friend, decided to pick up an extra shift the day he was killed by a patient.
Fitch said the selfless aspect of the job is how Graham lived even when he didn't have a uniform on.
“It sucks, you know, having to get that phone call," Fitch said. "He I would say he was 'doing what he loved,'" Fitch said. “Just being able to go and help people in times of crisis. He had the brains to do so, the heart to do so.”
While many people remember the Graham who wore a Kansas City Fire Department uniform, Fitch remembers a friendship that should have lasted a lifetime.
"It was an honor to be his friend,” Fitch said.
