Fort Worth Firefighter With Pancreatic Cancer Makes Final Plea For Living Kidney Donors To Save Wife And Others

Fort Worth Firefighter’s Final Wish: Donor Hope For Wife And kidney Waiting List

USA: At a home on a hill in Glen Rose, time is slipping for Fort Worth firefighter Todd Brooke, who is battling pancreatic cancer after outliving the six months doctors first predicted. Once able to speak and move freely, Brooke now cannot open his eyes or talk and answers loved ones with a squeeze of a hand or a raised brow — a fragile presence focused on one clear aim: to help his wife, Jennifer.

Before his diagnosis, Brooke planned to be a living kidney donor for Jennifer, who has polycystic kidney disease and faces a future need for transplantation. He can no longer serve as a donor, but his wish is to spur others into action. Jennifer is one of roughly 90,000 people in the United States waiting for a kidney transplant — a wait that can extend up to seven years without a living donor.

Brooke’s appeal centers on living donation and the urgency of procuring kidneys to shorten waiting times and save lives. He remains optimistic that a donor will be found, and his family says his intention to give has already shaped how they see any future transplant: as part of his legacy and lifesaving effort.

The story underscores a wider transplant gap: thousands await kidneys while potential living donors could change outcomes. In Glen Rose, Brooke’s plea is both personal and public — a call for more people to consider living donation and to support those on the transplant waiting list.

Video originally published on 2026-06-03 20:56:43