Fighting fires for nearly 30 years was a passion for Jim Stavas. His fight today is dealing with a rare illness.

A member of the American Canyon Fire District since 1977, Stavas served as the district’s deputy fire marshal, fire investigator, building inspection and weed abatement program supervisor.

A few days after undergoing minor sinus surgery in February 2006, however, Stavas fell critically ill.

Shortly after the surgery, Stavas became increasingly disoriented, was readmitted to Queen of the Valley Hospital, where he slipped into a four-week long coma.

Doctors learned Stavas suffered from urea cycle disorder, a rare genetic disorder causing ammonia to accumulate into the brain, leading to coma, brain damage and even death.

Stavas, who had hiked seven miles at Skyline Park the weekend before his surgery, now needs constant care.

Carol Stavas, who has learned to care for her husband of 26 years, has remained at his side on countless visits to the Queen, Stanford Medical Center and a rehabilitation center in Marin County.

To help the Stavas family, dozens of firefighters from American Canyon, Napa, and beyond have volunteered to cook, remodeled rooms in the Stavas house, built a wheelchair ramp, mowed the lawn and maintained the family vehicles.

“They’ve helped be with everything,” Carol Stavas said.

On good days, Stavas recognizes most people. On bad days, he does not.

American Canyon Fire Chief Keith Caldwell said he sometimes sees a glimmer of recognition in Stavas’ eyes when he stops by for a visit.

“Sometimes I see it. Sometimes I don’t,” said Caldwell, who, like Stavas, joined the American Canyon Fire District 30 years ago.

Law Enforcement and Fire Chaplain Lee Shaw stops by or calls almost daily to provide emotional support and guidance or simply line up a plumber or painter when it is needed.

Shaw said the firefighters’ response to help the Stavases has not surprised him.

“They’re like a family. They reach out to one another,” he said

Stavas was hospitalized last week due to complications with the disorder.

Napa City Firefighter/ Fire Investigator Scotty Neely, who is assigned to Station No. 3, the fire station closest to the Stavases, has known Stavas for years. Last week, he and Napa City firefighter paramedic Christopher Gilbert visited Stavas at the hospital.

Gilbert said Stavas was looking at them but not really responding.

There was no facial change, he noted, although there has been at least one notable exception.

“Scotty had his radio with him and American Canyon’s tones went off,” Gilbert said, referring to the tones indicating American Canyon Fire District’s firefighters were being dispatched to a call. “And Jim immediately grabbed the radio.”

“I had to pry his hand off the radio,” Neely said.

On the net

To learn more about urea cycle disorder, visit the National Urea Cycle Disorders Foundation at www.nusdf.org