The Colon Club

I'm shocked and so very sad. Eric was a superhero.

N

I am devastated. Eric was the first person to welcome me to this forum - Valentine's Day, 2014. I was looking forward to the pictorial essay of his garden he promised us June for this week. His garden is beautiful now. To a wonderful and generous human being... Andre

I'm so sorry. He was my role model.

Word.

RIP BrownBagger, Eric
Word, CrGuy we got your back

Got bless you Eric! May you be pedaling the most scenic and beautiful place ever.

I am having trouble processing this, like so many of you are. Eric lived his life as he rode his bike...always looking ahead, but all around as well. He knew that to keep from falling you had to be balanced, and he did that so well. He peddled hard on the big tough hills life threw at him, but he coasted and enjoyed the view whenever it presented itself. He rode strong...always. And he always had a way of encouraging us to ride with him.

Be at peace Eric. Pedal on....

Really glad that you packed in that visit to Sweden before you left, BB. You got to be the
bee found nestled in the flower at dusk; last day spent exhausted and resting on
clover petal: a life well spent.

Peace, perfect peace.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqhN6rvfJt4

I believe Brown Bagger and I came to this board nearly at the same time and with the same location and type of cancer. Here I am and now he is gone. I'll never understand the cruelty of this disease that would take someone so good and leave me here. If his life touched as many in his real world as he did here on this site, then there are many, many people the better for knowing him.

So far I've read words like 'remarkable' and 'the real deal'. I couldn't agree more. I did not have a close relationship with Eric but I was always glad to see a post from him and admired his ability to live his life, cancer be damned. I do not know how he became the incredible person that he was but I was often impressed and humbled by his approach to life.

Jean

Probably there are only a few who remember Brady. He was the guy that welcomed me in back in 2006. I've never really gotten past his loss, or that of justsing, another beautiful person who helped me through the first of what would become many stages of cancer. And now Brown Bagger. We don't get past or over the loss of these people. We learn to live with the loss.

Such very sad, sad news.

Oh no! I am shocked and so sad to hear this news! He will be greatly missed by me as well!
My condolences, thoughts and prayers to CRguy and to Erics family and those friends he has made along the way!

I am deeply saddened to hear of Eric's passing. He was an awesome role model here.

My condolences to all his loved ones.

Janie

This gutted me...

And broke my heart into a million pieces.

Eric was like a brother to me. We bonded years ago when we were both newly diagnosed and we remained close until the end.
We were both mavericks, constantly getting both public and private reprimands from Gaelen for posting about our physical activities while we were on chemo. And what she said made some sense. But intrinsically, at the very intersection of our body and our soul, we both knew that giving up our pursuits – Eric’s bicycling and my running/mountain climbing – would damage the core of strength we needed to get through treatment.

So we cut down our mileage, but we kept our attitude and, like the bad kids in the back of the room in grade school, we privately compared how many times we got in trouble with her. In doing it our way, by declining to following the traditional lay-back-and-take-it-easy advice, we took ownership of our cancer journey, maybe even extending both of our lives. It was OUR journey, and we needed to insist on that fact.

Over the course of my journey with cancer, I’ve learned that, more than anything, cancer is about stories and friendships. And those friendships are antibodies against the depression and uncertainty of cancer. Eric’s irreverent humor made me laugh time and time again and his presence in my life made me stronger than I would have been on my own. Lately, we’d been discussing changes to the farm house he was remodeling in Wisconsin – the new hard maple floor, the tile backsplash in the kitchen that would match the porch spandrel design, whether to convert the old root cellar to a wine cellar. He loved that farm and couldn’t wait to retire there next spring. I’m glad that’s where it happened because I know that’s what he’d want.

The world is a dimmer place without him in it. He taught us all how to live a Big Life and give cancer only a small part in it. He will never be forgotten. To his wife, family, friends, co-workers and neighbors, may his presence continue to shine in your lives. And to Eric, AKA BrownBagger, I hope it’s a beautiful ride. It was an honor to walk this journey with you.

Love,
Julie

Word