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Fort Worth firefighter battling cancer searches for kidney donor to save his wife

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FOX 4
Fort Worth
Published June 3, 2026 4:52 PM CDT
Published June 3, 2026 4:52 PM CDT

The Brief

    • Longtime Fort Worth firefighter Todd Brook is fighting Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. But instead of asking for help with his own health battle, he’s urgently seeking help for his wife.
    • He planned to donate one of his kidneys to his wife, Jennifer, whose kidney function is down to about 22%. That can no longer happen because of his diagnosis.
    • Jennifer is currently on the transplant list at UT Southwestern, and the public can help by registering as a living kidney donor at utswmed.org.

FORT WORTH, Texas - A Fort Worth firefighter who has spent his career helping others is now racing against time for the person he loves most. He’s looking for a kidney for his wife while also fighting his own battle with cancer.

Cancer Diagnosis

Todd Brook

Todd Brook has been a firefighter with the Fort Worth Fire Department for the past 30 years. But in October, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

"Made an appointment, had an MRI done, and they found spots on his pancreas," his wife, Jennifer Brook, told FOX 4.

Kidney Donor

Jennifer Brook

Before the diagnosis, Todd was planning to donate a kidney to his wife of 16 years. For years, she’s battled a slowly progressing kidney failure.

"My kidneys are functioning at 22% right now," Jennfier said. "UT Southwestern is where I go and they, you’re not eligible for a transplant unless you’re at 20%. But my doctors wanted me to go ahead and get through the process. They put me on the list."

Last Wish

In the midst of his own cancer battle, Todd asked his department for help for his wife. He requested media interviews in hopes of raising awareness to find Jennifer a new kidney donor.

"Todd had reached out to me. Like I said, we’ve been on the truck and worked the stock show for years. His I’ll just say final wish was to make sure we tried to get Jen the kidney. He didn’t care about him, anything having to do with him to make his world any better. He was 100% focused on her," said Craig Trojecek, a spokesman for the Fort Worth Fire Department who helped to set up the FOX 4 interview.

While Todd is still fighting, he recently became unresponsive. 

"He responds some. He’ll squeeze my hand or lift an eyebrow and you know he hears us. As soon as I asked him if he still wanted me to do the interview, it was like an apparent yes," Jennifer said. "So, he’s still fighting. This is what he wanted. He’s the one who called out and said, ‘Can you guys get it out there?’"

"I feel like that’s Todd. Todd was always about everybody else," Trojecek said.

Donor Registry

Anyone interested in helping the Brook family is encouraged to register as a living kidney donor.

For more information, visit https://utswmed.org/conditions-treatments/living-donor-kidney-transplant/

The Source: The information in this story came from the Fort Worth Fire Department and an interview with Todd Brook's wife.

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