Fort Worth firefighter with ‘final wish’ to save wife’s life dies from cancer
A Fort Worth firefighter with terminal pancreatic cancer, whose final wish was to find a kidney donor for his ailing wife, died Friday, the Fire Department said in a social media post.
Todd Brook was 59, and served the Fort Worth Fire Department for over 30 years, according to the post.
“Todd was the fireman you wanted stepping off the truck with you when you rolled up and knew you were staring down a good one,” the post reads.
Brook was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in October, his family told KDFW-TV earlier this week. Prior to his diagnosis, Brook was planning to donate a kidney to his wife, Jennifer, who for years has been battling a slowly-progressing kidney failure.
“His final wish was to make sure we tried to get Jen the kidney,” Fire Department spokesperson Craig Trojacek said. “He didn’t care about him, anything having to do with him to make his world any better. He was 100% focused on her.”
Todd and Jennifer have been together for 16 years, according to KDFW.
Jennifer Brook hopes that the publicity from her husband’s final wish may help others in need get connected to a living donor, she told Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV.
Details on a funeral service for Todd Brook will be shared at a later date, Fire Department officials said.
Anyone wishing to volunteer as a living kidney donor is encouraged to apply online using UT Southwestern’s Living Donor Program application. To learn more about living-donor kidney transplants, visit the UT Southwestern webpage.
