You may have noticed that the blog has been a little quiet the last couple of weeks. On March 18th, my hero passed away. I could say it was sudden but he had been suffering from lung cancer for the last 16 months. It wasn’t supposed to end the way it did. He had been undergoing experimental chemo-therapy that seemed to be working. His tumors were shrinking. But cancer is a bitch!
Let me share with you what a hero is to me. Courage, sacrifice, Inspiring, and brave are some good words that define hero. Heroes are like you and me, ordinary people who put others in front of themselves. I think about those healthcare workers who sacrificed time to be with their families to care for those infected with Covid. They actually put their own lives at risk to save lives. Law enforcement officers fit in this category as well. Recently, a police man from Tampa, Florida sacrificed his life to protect others when he ran his car into another car traveling the wrong way on the interstate. Heroes overcome challenges with grace. They are able to teach lessons by giving the best advice, loving hard, being smart. My father-in-law, Bruce Bachman, was my hero.
Hurricane Charlie hit central Florida hard in 2004! It was the first of four hurricanes to hit Florida that year. It lasted nearly a week. While falling tree branches threatened homes, Bruce tackled the winds to protect his family. During this, one of those tree branches landed on him and severed his spine. The amazing surgeons were able to piece his cervical spine together with metal rods. Bruce was lucky to have survived such a blow but this Navy Officer and former football player for the Midshipmen’s life had changed forever.
Since then, my father-in-law survived bladder cancer. He tackled lung cancer. During chemotherapy treatment, he contracted a terrible case of shingles. When the oncologists at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida offered a trial treatment, there was no doubt that Bruce would apply to be a candidate. After acceptance, he went through hell. You would never know it though. Through the chemicals, steroids, and those shingles, he never once complained. Up until the end, Bruce Bachman was 100% committed to that trial.
My father-in-law lost his battle with cancer on March 18th 2021. He was a hero for cancer, his community and his family. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with me.
Live life to the fullest, wear my seat belt, show up and show up on time, introduce people and let people know you are proud to be with them.
Stand during the Star Spangled Banner.
Make decisions but understand that my emotions can triumph over my logic.
Love hard and as fiercely as I can.
My wife/husband will be the most important piece to my healthy life.
Sit on emails for 24 hours.
He didn’t teach me/us how to dance, he told me/us to keep dancing.
If you need help, ask for it.
Look people in the eye.
Don’t stay mad because it can be exhausting.
Forgive people but don’t force yourself to forget.
Stay humble and stay kind.
Remember that you can be judged on the actions of your past until the actions of your present prove differently.
It’s ok to make bad decisions but be able to accept responsibility and the consequences of them and teach others.
Make commitments and stick to them.
Keep pushing even if you’re losing because I am never out of the fight.
When you hug, hug like you mean it...hold on for an extra second because that extra second can sometimes change a feeling or save a relationship.
If you’re not comfortable with something don’t do it.
Be happy and surround yourself with great people because you are ultimately who you surround yourself with.
If you lie, then you cheat and steal.
Be patient, take small steps and be proud of those small steps in life.
Just because you don’t agree with someone doesn’t mean they’re wrong; they’re just different.
You will never get it perfect but keep trying.
It’s ok to be vulnerable and cry and don’t be ashamed of how you feel.
Take care of your wife/husband because the best decision I ever made was my commitment to your mother.
Don’t waste opportunities to tell your family you love them.
No matter how bad the situation or how long the night would be, the sun will always rise in the morning
Respect the military and honor your elders
There is never an excuse to be rude.
None of this matters if you don’t have family.
I am a better person for knowing Bruce. have been a Bachman since 2015. My father-in-law married me into his family. He wrote the eulogy at his own father’s funeral. His last words, “One day the light will shine like the sun through my skin. And they will ask, what have you done with your life? And while there are moments I will remember, in the end, I will be proud to say I was one of us.” I am a better person for knowing him.
Knowing my father-in-law has made me a better wife, a better clinical trainer for your dental practice and better person. I hope that you have someone in your life you can call a hero.
