Running into a burning house is one kind of bravery. Battling cancer is another.

Grand Island firefighters Lonnie Mitteis and Bryan Stutzman, both 58, returned to work Wednesday after missing significant time due to cancer.

Mitteis, a firefighter-paramedic, had been gone nine months while he was tackling bladder cancer. Stutzman, who had prostate cancer, was gone eight weeks.

For Mitteis, who learned of his bladder cancer Jan. 8, what was the low point?

Oh, it was the chemo, by far, he said.

Not being able to do anything was tough. When youre used to going and going and going and literally, it takes everything youve got to get out of the chair to go to the restroom, it wears you out, Mitteis said, adding that he was sick. I didnt believe it was possible to be that sick.

Saying chemo is terrible isnt enough. Its horrible, he said. He started chemo in the middle of January. For the next three months, he had three days when he actually felt like a human being.

Along the way, Mitteis gained some humility because he saw cancer patients who were a lot sicker than he was.

On May 20, a surgeon in Omaha took my bladder and my prostate and he built me a new bladder out of 60 centimeters of my small intestine. Its called a neobladder.

Mitteis is extremely happy to be at back at work.

I really didnt think this would ever happen, Mitteis said. When I first found out I was sick, I thought my career at the Fire Department was over. I really did.

Stutzman, a battalion chief, had his prostate removed.

Its hard to get a phone call telling you that you have cancer, Stutzman says. You never think its going to happen to you, and when you get that call it sends you to some dark places. You think the worst, he said.

People who have their prostate removed sometimes find it messes with your head, he said.

Theres a possibility of a lot of side-effects with surgery like that. Luckily, I havent had them. But thats all you think about, he said.

In December 2017, Grand Island firefighter Jedd Bohlender, only 49, died of pancreatic cancer.

We just lost Jedd to cancer, Stutzman says. His co-workers just watched him waste away. So you see that and you hear the word cancer is in you, youre going to fear the worst, he said.

He had different treatment options. But he decided to go with surgery after talking to a cancer doctor. His niece, whos a registered nurse, works for the doctor.

The physician pointed out that cancer is now the leading cause of death among firefighters.

If you do radiation and you get another cancer in that region, you cant do radiation again, the doctor told Stutzman. And surgery becomes 10 times more difficult, because that radiation just kind of mucks everything up.

Stutzman received the great news that he is cancer-free.

Still, the surgery was tough. It was four to six weeks of I dont ever want to do that again, he said.

During the recovery, he wasnt allowed to do any lifting. So you just sit around.

Stutzman has been a Grand Island firefighter since May of 1985.

When he was fighting his battle, Mitteis received a huge amount of support from other firefighters.

He got cards from as far away as Germany and New Zealand. He also received many phone calls, texts and other messages from Canada and all over the U.S.. They came from people with whom hes worked and competed. Mitteis takes part in firefighting competitions, such as the 3M Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge at the State Fair.

Those messages played a big role in helping Mitteis get through it. They were all positive, and thats what was driving me almost to the point of if I hadnt returned, I would have felt guilty, he said. Yeah. I didnt want to let them down.

Mitteis, a St. Paul native, will celebrate 19 years as a Grand Island firefighter on Nov. 1.

A paramedic knows more than a little about medicine.

Mitteis disagreed with a doctor and a physicians assistant who thought his problem was his prostate. Later, one doctor told him his refusal to accept the initial diagnosis probably saved his life.

In late July, Mitteis began to feel like he might come back to work. He even competed, on a limited basis, at the firefighter challenge at this years State Fair.

Before starting back full-time this week, he was on light duty for two weeks.

Cancer is the leading cause of death among firefighters, Stutzman said. Bladder cancer is one of the most common killers.

The GIFD has about 70 employees. Since 1984, 13 to 15 firefighters have had some form of cancer, Stutzman said. Three of them have died Bohlender, George Arnett and George Pontious.

Twenty or 30 years ago, houses were mostly built of wood and other natural products, Stutzman said. Now many of the materials are plastic and treated fabrics. Firefighters deal with a lot of carcinogens, he said.

When he started, if you washed your clothes, you were made fun of, Stutzman said. The badge of honor went to who had the dirtiest helmet. In retrospect, that was not good.

Stutzman is in charge of setting out specifications for a new GIFD fire truck. In the modern world of firefighting, gear is kept in separate compartments after firefighters extinguish a fire.

Firefighters are using personal protective equipment that limits their exposure. Experts say that a persons body, when it heats up, absorbs toxins at four times the normal rate, Stutzman said.

Exhaust systems are being installed so that engine exhaust doesnt get into fire stations.

International firefighter unions are trying to help prevent cancer in firefighters.

But its also up to individual firefighters, Stutzman said. Were in that toxic atmosphere, he said. They just try to minimize the risk as best they can.

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Cancer behind them, two Grand Island firefighters return to duty - Grand Island Independent