08/02/03

Morristown Firefighter Chris Trumpf, who is on sick leave due to leukemia, may receive a bone marrow transplant in September. Daily Record File Photo.

Ailing firefighter has chance at life

By Pamela Garretson, Daily Record

On the job, Chris Trumpf is a firefighter who wants to improve himself and others.

He's a mentor.

He's a friend.

Now, for the other six members of his unit, a special part of their group is missing.

A progressive blood disorder has forced Trumpf to take sick leave from the Morristown Fire Department earlier than planned.

"I said (to the doctor), 'This isn't going to work for me,'" Trumpf said. "I said, 'How about January?'"

Trumpf, a 24-year veteran of the department, was diagnosed a year ago with thrombocytopenia, a type of myelodysplastic syndrome that's sometimes known as smoldering leukemia. It's a precancerous condition in which the bone marrow slowly stops making blood cells and platelets.

The only potential cure is a bone marrow transplant. Even then, the chances of survival are 60 percent. Without a transplant, doctors have given Trumpf five to 10 years to live.

There is, however, hope for a donor match.

Three people in Germany were identified as potential donors. So far, one has sent blood for further testing. Another can no longer donate, and the third has yet to be contacted.

Trumpf said doctors are hoping to find a fourth potential donor, in case there is a problem with the first individual.

If a donor is found, Trumpf said he plans to have the transplant in September in a Seattle clinic. He and his wife will remain there for about four months.

"I'm luckier than a lot of guys," Trumpf said. "At least I have a chance."

Blood tests showed that the levels of Trumpf's platelets, which help clot blood, and his red and white blood cells are dropping. Doctors told him that he had to stop working for fear of infection.

"I didn't expect it," 54-year-old Trumpf said. "You try and plan things out, so I didn't expect it to happen this soon. It's just not fitting into my plans."

The Morristown Professional Firefighters, which sponsored a bone marrow drive in November that brought 1,200 out for testing, has decided to dedicate its annual fundraising appeal to Trumpf and his family.

"Our letter starts, 'Last year we asked for your blood. This year we're asking for your money,'" Capt. Jon Prachthauser said.

Prachthauser said about 29,000 letters are being printed and will be distributed to every Morristown business owner and resident in September. He said the goal is to raise $275,000 for Trumpf's transplant, transportation and housing near the Seattle hospital.

"As far as we're concerned, the family doesn't have to worry about those issues now," Prachthauser said. "We do everything we can possibly do for these people."

It's what Trumpf would do for any of them, said Prachthauser and others in the department.

Firefighter Bob Whitehead, a close friend of Trumpf's, was choked up when speaking about a man he described as "beloved."

"He is absolutely the most giving person I ever met in my life," Whitehead said. "He's the first one to help, no matter what it is. He is the most respected and loved person on the job."

When Whitehead joined the department 16 years ago, he said Trumpf was a mentor and became a close friend.

"It shouldn't happen to anybody, but a person like he is, how giving and loving he is, it's terrible," Whitehead said. "It's more than heartbreaking.

"We're like brothers. We keep praying for the match to be perfect so he can get on with his life like he deserves to."

Copyright 2003 Daily Record.