11/17/2020
Eric Blumer
EBR's Benisch Granted Early Release!
“Always Forward,” Benisch Granted Early Release
It was about this time that EBR was going to send a message out, asking folks to pick up the spirits of an old friend who’s doing some hard time. For those who don’t know, Brian Benisch, currently the Senior Advisor at EBR, our Dog Guard of Wisconsin guy, benefactor and friend, is the subject of the “Always Forward,” slogan on the 6E. He is also pictured here making final preparations for Eric’s first spin ever in the car circa October of 2017.
"Always Forward," is in reference to his current battle with cancer. Brian went through a similar journey before and beat it, only to now have the disease come back, some four years later, for a second round.
During his current journey, Brian was dreading his this month's segment more than any part of his treatment. He was to be in isolation for at least 14 days. He’d already done chemo. He also experienced a nasty procedure that his doctor assured him was the worst/most painful part of his treatment plan. Yet, this last step was going to be the hardest.
To backtrack, if you’ve ever bought a ticket to say, a hockey game or race and planned to sit next to Brian, you have some insight to his apprehension. You see, he’s not particularly good at sitting still. At a hockey game, between the periods, he’ll likely disappear until a couple minutes after the drop of the puck, having visited the ref’s locker room or finding an old friend behind the glass. At a race, despite planning on sitting in the stands, he will surely have a pit pass where he’ll likely spend at least a quarter of the evening talking to drivers and crew members. You might not see him at all if one of his friend’s cars has an issue and he can put his mechanic skills to work. He’s just one of those people who is always moving.
As noted, when Brian entered the latter portion of his treatment, he was told he’d need to do at least 14 days in the hospital so they could put his stem cells back in him. Under normal circumstances, he would be allowed in-person visitors who would be highly regulated to avoid infection, as his immune system rebuilds itself. Toss in Covid and now he gets no face to face time with anyone outside hospital staff. As he put it, “When Terri dropped me off at the hospital, it was like being dropped off at the airport and I was going to be gone for two weeks,” even though they would only be about 25 miles apart.
On the unit there’s a stationary bike he can ride. He reported early on, a walking tour of the ward took him two minutes if he dawdled a little. “Call me any time day or night. If I’m up at 2 a.m. I’ll answer. You are not going to bother me. The phone will be off if I don’t want to be disturbed,” he said. We thought this mid-point of his "sentence," would be the best time to tell folks to reach out to him.
But it appears his work, his will and obedience to his doctor’s orders has rewarded him with an early release. Brian has been advised he “got paroled,” as he put it and will be going home a few days sooner than expected. This fight isn’t over and Covid sure doesn’t make things any easier for anyone, much less a cancer fighter. But, it’s great news. Brian’s fighting this one like the champ he is. We’re proud of him and happy he’s getting “early release.”
Still, feel free to drop him a note on Facebook or other such media!
We have no doubt he’ll keep working hard and will be moving “Always Forward!”
Submitted By: William Blumer
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