He’s one of the real live first-responder heroes many of us only read about or see on television. He’s always been there for the community in emergency situations and now he is the one who needs help.
Firefighter Roger Bahnck, who has just emerged from 38 days in St. Luke’s Upper Bucks Campus battling COVID-19, has received nothing but praise from his fellow firefighters – and Roger has offered nothing but praise for the staff at St. Luke’s.
Chief Bill Shick of the Ottsville Volunteer Fire Company said, “He’s been a member of our company nearly as long as I have. Even after he had his second kidney transplant, he still drove the fire truck. He always does that because he lives just down the street from the firehouse.” Bahnck is a lifetime member of the company.
The Ottsville firefighters were planning to escort him home with their trucks when he was discharged, but the date and time kept changing, so that didn’t happen.
“But, during his stay we did take our trucks there. The Riegelsville Fire Co. sent a truck, too,” said Shick. “We drove around the back of the hospital and the people in the ICU managed to get him to the window to see us.”
Roger’s stepsister, Dawn Meadows, said, “Roger was pleased to have the fire company show up at the hospital. They wore their uniforms and got out and waved to him. I think the Erwinna fire company was there, too. It was amazing.”
Roger was discharged from the hospital on Feb. 3 and is home in Ottsville now but his battle is far from over. He did beat COVID-19 but it continues to play havoc with his kidneys and he’s on dialysis three times a week.
For nearly four decades, the 53-year-old has been a member of the fire company he has served as lieutenant and later captain.
A self-employed electrician, he has two children, Tanner, a student at Delaware Valley University, and Tori, a junior at Palisades High School. He has been without income since his hospitalization and during his recovery and faces overwhelming medical bills as well as family and household expenses.
The children’s mother, Tara, who has been called his “ex-wife/best friend,” is holding the family together. Roger’s aunt, owner of the Bucks County Hair Company and Day Spa, posted frequent updates on her facebook page about his condition. It was she, a perfect match, who donated his second kidney.
He was very sick, his stepsister said, and at one point his extended family feared he would not survive. He had been admitted to the hospital just two days after Christmas.
But, Tara added, “Roger did seem to brighten later when our son called him to tell him he had made the Dean’s List at DelVal. Roger was so happy about that.”
Dawn, his stepsister, has started a GoFundMe page for Roger.
On the GoFundMe page, she wrote, “Roger is an amazing, determined, and strong-willed man. He is an inspiration to so many people. He has faced so many challenges with his health. He is a two-time kidney transplant recipient, the latest in April 2018. He has never let this disease define who he is. He has always faced his challenges head-on and is determined to never give up.”
Roger has always responded to a call for help and it looks like it’s now the community’s turn to respond to his need.
Anyone wishing to contribute to the fund Dawn has started for him to pay for his medical and household expenses may sign on to GoFundMe.com and enter Roger Bahnck in the search bar.
kathrynfclark@verizon.net
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