An autopsy has revealed that Michael Gorumba, 27, of the Fire Department of New York, died of an uncommon form of cardiomyopathy, according to a New York Daily News report (Michele McPhee, Sept. 6, 2001). The condition reportedly would not have been detected by the extensive testing he underwent before being hired as a firefighter. One of the effects of cardiomyopathy is to enlarge the heart.
Gorumba died Aug. 28. After helping to stretch hose at a residential fire, he felt ill and returned to the cab of his engine, where fellow firefighters found him.
