On December 27th, our uncle, brother and friend, Dick Bachelder (aka Bach), had a catastrophic accident while skiing with his family at Sugarloaf. He has lost all feeling and function in his arms and legs and is now a quadriplegic. After recovering at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, Dick arrived home on March 2nd. He is working incredibly hard to regain some physical functions through physical therapy multiple times a week. Dick is also dedicated to his occupational therapy and reacclimating to daily activities. His efforts have been nothing short of tireless. You can follow his progress here: https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/dickbachelder
Bach has maintained his trademark positive, can-do attitude throughout this ordeal. His spirit, determination and gratitude shine brightly despite the challenges he has faced and will continue to battle. This is a great source of inspiration to his family, friends and all those from Bach Nation. Dick has lived his life as a pay-it-forward guy. He is a true Mainer, a son of Hallowell, stranger to no one, proud booster of all things Bowdoin and an active citizen in his hometown of York, Maine. Dick is the devoted father of college twins (Meg and Billy), husband to his wife Amy and the go-to guy for so many. Dick and his family have been deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support they have received and are forever grateful. Dick is an amazing soul who has always been there for his friends, family and community.
As his family and friends, we wanted to try to mirror his incredible efforts - by coming together as a team and training for the Maine Marathon, Maine Half Marathon or the relay and raising money to help defray some of the financial challenges associated with his condition - including 24/7 care and other medical costs, most of which are not covered by insurance.
Please join us to share this financial burden by making a donation to Team Bach. We will be raising money via the nonprofit Help Hope Live, which funds uninsured medical expenses associated with Catastrophic Injury. Dick has chosen to fundraise for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse medical and related expenses. You can read more about Help Hope Live and Dick's campaign here: https://helphopelive.org/campaign/21895/
Together we can help Dick achieve a healthy, safe and meaningful post-injury life. We will be thinking about him every step of the 13.1 or 26.2 miles. Thank you for your kindness and your support!
