'Long road ahead': Milwaukee firefighter severely injured in line of duty recovering at Mayo Clinic with daughter

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A Milwaukee firefighter severely injured in the line of duty is now recovering at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Jeff Rothmeier slipped and fell from the roof of a two-story building while battling a fire on Saturday. He suffered a severe concussion, memory loss, a bruised lung, 10 broken ribs and a spinal fracture, according to family.

"He's in a lot of pain," Jamie Fink, Rothmeier's sister-in-law, said. "He was shaken up. It was a pretty severe concussion to the point where he didn't really recall that Fiona was even sick."

While Rothmeier was being treated for his injuries at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, his young daughter, Fiona, was scheduled to undergo surgery to have her kidney removed more than 200 miles away at Mayo Clinic. 

Fink said Fiona has been battling a non-functioning kidney for months.

"He was really hellbent about getting to Mayo to be with Fiona and Steph, and we all thought it was impossible," Fink said.

Fink said Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski performed a miracle by arranging for Rothmeier to be taken to Rochester by ambulance in time for Fiona's surgery.

Fink said Fiona's surgery did not go as well as hoped. She lost a lot of blood and is being monitored closely. 

"She's not feeling well. She's in a lot of pain," Fink said. 

The father and daughter will stay at Mayo Clinic for the time being. 

"Jeff is improving slowly by the day, but it's a long road ahead for him," Fink said.

Jamie Fink and her husband, AJ Fink, told CBS 58 Rothmeier had a passion for firefighting. 

"If you know Jeff, you know that he loves firefighting," Jamie Fink said.

A GoFundMe page raised more than $60,000 as of Monday night to pay for both recoveries. 

"It's meant the world to them, of course. It's meant the world to us to see the community, and really people all around the country, kind of joining forces, joining hands and like lifting their family up," AJ Fink said. 

Milwaukee Fire Department (MFD) said it would not be releasing a statement yet out of respect for the family, but said, "Know that MFD is actively supporting the Rothmeier family in every way possible."