Ocoee firefighter fighting for his life

Vince Byrd is a tall, brawny guy — the type you definitely want on your side in a game of tug-of-war and the type one can easily envision heroically saving people from burning buildings. 
And that’s exactly what Byrd does. 

“He’s the 6-foot-2, 250-pound firefighter,” said Michelle Grogan, a detective for the Ocoee Police Department and family friend. “He’s the epitome of health and strength.”

A firefighter since 1981, Byrd has lived in Central Florida all his life. He graduated from Apopka High School in 1979, earned an associate’s degree from Valencia College and became a firefighter for the Apopka Fire Department shortly after. He eventually landed at the Ocoee Fire Department, where he was promoted to fire engineer in 2005 and climbed the ranks to lieutenant by 2010. 

The Unexpected Diagnosis

Despite the perils in his career, Byrd remained dedicated to it, and given his history of health, some might argue he is built for it. 
Given that history, the day Byrd came home from work complaining of back pain was an alarming anomaly. Stranger still was when he turned to his wife and asked her to take him to the hospital.

At first, the doctors said it was a pancreatic attack that could be cleared up with a clean-living diet and rest. They sent him home after a week of care, but five days later, the pain returned. 

The main treatment for a pancreatic attack is abstaining from eating solid foods and bowel rest. However, the treatment adversely affected Byrd because he did it too long and did not get enough nutrition. Byrd was transferred to UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville in the middle of the night.

The Emergency Surgery

Because Byrd became so malnourished, he had an unattended fall that caused more damage. The result was an emergency surgery.  Due to digestive acids leaking in his body, Byrd had to have his gallbladder, spleen and more than two-thirds of his pancreas removed. 

“I was basically told to make arrangements because I would become a widow before I was 50,” said retired Ocoee police officer Jamie Byrd, Vince Byrd’s wife. 

There’s been a lot of ups and downs since the surgery, but Vince Byrd is a little more stable now. He’s lost 30 pounds and still cannot eat solids, but he was released from the hospital Aug. 2. He currently has five abdominal drains and needs to have a constant feeding tube.

 He must still remain close to the facility to be routinely checked on by nurses, so the Byrds are currently living 90 minutes  from their home in Groveland until he gets clearance from the doctors to go back home.

The Medical Expenses

Medical bills are not much of a problem for the Byrds — their insurance covers most of it. But the expense of renting a place in Gainesville while Vince Byrd recovers have steadily accumulated, and the costs of the special formula he needs to consume to remain well-nourished is quite expensive.

Consuming eight bags a day, with a price tag of $25 a bag, Vince Byrd’s fight to survive does not come cheap. The Byrds have watched their savings quickly deplete, and insurance does not cover the living expenses or the formula Vince Byrd needs to recover without becoming malnourished again.

“I told her to get a lawyer and fight this because, you know, she’s trying to save her husband,” Grogan explained regarding the Byrds’ financial situation. “It’s almost like getting a part-time job, trying to fight the insurance company, you know? It’s something you’ve paid for your whole life, and now you have to fight the insurance company just to get formula so you can stay alive?”

Jamie Byrd appealed her insurance company’s decision to refuse to cover the living and food expenses for her husband, and only time will tell how much longer they’ll need to stay in Gainesville.

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Contact Gabby Baquero at [email protected]