When a helper needs help

Chris Stencel

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Posted January 21, 2024 | By Susan Smiley-Height
susan@magnoliamediaco.com

The International Association of Fire Fighters, in partnership with the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, designated January as Fire Fighter Cancer Awareness Month to provide firefighters tools and guidance to develop life-saving protocols for cancer prevention and to support those with a cancer diagnosis within their departments.

One paramedic with Marion County Fire Rescue knows all about the significance of the designation.

Christopher Stencel joined MCFR in June of 2019, but, according to Joe Romani, supervisory vice president of the Professional Firefighters of Marion County, “Chris was bitten by the fire bug around the age of 3. His father was a volunteer firefighter during Chris’s childhood, and he was hooked from there.”

Stencel’s family moved from New Jersey to Kissimmee when Chris was a freshman in high school. At the age of 18, he talked with members of a rescue crew and started training in October 1993 and became a member of the Campbell City Fire Department on Nov. 14, 1993. He rose to the rank of captain before moving to a job in Polk County, prior to coming to Marion County.

Stencel is assigned to Critical Care 1, B shift, which is a specialized transport that handles a wide array of calls, from basic life support to patients requiring balloon pumps, medication drips and ventilator support, Romani said.

In June of 2022, Stencel noticed a change in his bowel habits.

“I figured it was just something that happened because of a recent change in my medication, so I stopped taking the med but the symptom didn’t go away. I changed some things that I consumed, no change. There was never any pain associated with this, so I didn’t think much of it,” he wrote in a statement posted on a PFFMC social media page.

He noted that he had done some research and had come up with three possible causes: irritable bowel syndrome, Chron’s disease or cancer.

“I was working as an ER tech and my local hospital. I am a workaholic.  I asked one of the doctors if I could bounce an idea off of him and explained what was going on.  He asked for a few minutes and came back with three doctor’s names. One was a GI, the other was a surgeon and the last was an oncologist,’ Stencel wrote.

It wasn’t until Nov. 5, 2022, that he got an appointment with the gastrointestinal specialist. On Jan. 24, 2023, he had a colonoscopy. On Jan. 27, he was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma.

“I am not a crier; farthest from it. I came home from the appointment, sat down in my living room, and cried. I was blindsided by something that I had never expected. There was no family history of cancer. The biopsy sample was genetically tested to ensure it wasn’t something that was passed down through my family,” he noted.

On Feb. 17, 2023, a chemotherapy port was installed in his chest.

“Chemo started Feb 21. My blend of chemo meds, of which there were six, five were delivered in the office over six hours and one I had to take home as it was delivered over 46 hours via IV pump. Just imagine sleeping attached to a long tube with a needle in your chest,” he recalled.

Each round of therapy spanned three days, every other week for eight weeks.

“I would report Mondays, go back and have the pump removed Wednesday, feel good Thursday and feel progressively worse, with Saturday being the worst of the days. Luckily, I was able to tolerate it pretty well. My oncologist said you would never know I had cancer by looking at my lab work,” Stencel shared.

The chemotherapy ended on May 18 and then Stencel received radiation therapy five days a week for 28 weeks.

“In between some of these dates were CT scans, PET scans, MRI’s, X-rays. I think I glow in the dark now,” he wrote, somewhat lightheartedly.

Stencel maintained his work schedule throughout his therapy, sometimes even working overtime. He said he may have missed maybe five shifts.

On Dec. 8, 2023, he was slated to have laparoscopic surgery to remove a tumor.

“The procedure was supposed to be laparoscopic, to reduce my down time and assist with healing. With this type of surgery, you wind up with a colostomy or an ileostomy to allow the intestines to heal after the section with the tumor has been resected. I woke up with an ileostomy and an 8-inch incision from my belly button down. With any surgery, anything is possible. This extended my ‘no lifting’ from four weeks to eight weeks. Recovery has not gone to plan. I was readmitted due to losing 20 pounds in a month, which changed the ostomy site. So now I am healing and resting at home,” Stencel shared.

And, he added via email, “My tumor which was 7cm x 3 cm in dimension, classified as a T2, Stage 1, which means it was confined to its origin and didn’t spread anywhere. I am currently recovering at home, with an expectation to have my ileostomy reversed and to return to full duty by the end of April.”

In the meantime, he ran out of sick time and paid time off.

“The people I work with have donated enough for two paychecks, which is forcing me to come back to work sooner than I should,” he wrote.

“The State of Florida has a presumptive cancer bill which entitles a firefighter to a one-time payment of $25,000 to assist with associated costs of cancer, but because Chris was hired in Marion County as a paramedic, it made him ineligible for this, regardless of his past work history and dedication to the profession,” Romani stated.

Through his cancer journey, Stencel said he had amazing support from his wife, Amanda.

Amanda graduated nursing school in December and is currently preparing to enter a nurse residency program with HCA in February.

“Between us are five children, three of hers and two of mine, and a grandchild,” he added.

“How she was able to study, go to school, test and take care of me and the family is nothing short of amazing. When my wife went back to school, she became a full-time student and we dropped down to a single income family. This was within our means and within budget. But then the cancer diagnosis hit and now I was going to be short. My wife quitting school was not an option as she was so close to the end, which was another reason for working through this nightmare. I started a GoFundMe account in late August because our bills were consuming our savings and at a rapid pace” Stencel shared.

As of Jan. 21, the fund (gofund.me/4ed264d2) had received $6,600 toward a goal of raising $15,000.

Stencel and Amanda started dating after reuniting at their 20^th high school reunion in 2014. They married three years later.

“Chris and I originally attended high school together in the early ‘90s, in Kissimmee. We were friendly with one another, but never really had a chance to know each other,” she recalled. “I was a member of our reunion planning committee and after the party I stuck around for clean-up and met up with some friends poolside for drinks. Chris was there as well and when I joined the group he offered me a chair. I thought how gentleman-like his gesture was and when he asked me out to dinner a few days later, I agreed. Our first date was in downtown Orlando, and he was shy and dinner was good. But after dinner, Chris took my hand in his and I instantly knew that I was going to marry him.”

When Amanda heard about her husband’s diagnosis, she was flooded with medical questions, but also questions about her family’s resiliency mentally and economically.

“But the first thought I had was, ‘How can I ease his fears?’ I know how frightening it can be when you receive a cancer diagnosis. It was devastating seeing him afraid. Chris is a protector by nature and now he needed protecting,” she shared.

Understandably, some days are easier than others she said.

“Neither of us are at our best when it comes to the cancer journey. We focus on how we can show each other love, not on being right or getting our point across.  Although Chris has been afflicted with this, I see the blessings that have poured over us through it. He is very fortunate. God has provided a supportive family through Chris’ coworkers and friends. His treatment has been thorough and successful. His doctors have taken no chances and have shown dedication to his care. And we both have a better understanding of how important it is to take things one day at a time. To be more present in each moment and how to enjoy the little things,” she noted.

In looking backward and to the future, Stencel said via email: “When we enter the academy, we dream of saving lives, making the lifesaving grab from a fire or ripping cars apart with hydraulic tools and every other macho thing that can be thought of, but cancer was never on my radar. There are studies coming out every month that the chemicals that are made to make our gear more fire and heat resistant can be carcinogenic, or the foam we use to extinguish fires, can cause cancer.”

For his fellow firefighters, he offers, “When you notice a change, no matter how small, get checked. I was lucky enough to catch mine at stage 1. Some don’t find their cancers until stage 4.”

To learn more about the International Association of Fire Fighters and the designation, visit iaff.org/cancer-awareness-month/

For information about the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, go to firefightercancersupport.org