Roomed for a short time at OSU with Will. He was in great shape, except for his illness. Nice guy. He was one of the oldest with his disease. Passed away much too young.
I remember we were about ten or twelve. We were at the front door of his house, when he told me that he had a terminal illness. He was so "matter of fact" about it. I admired his courage. He lived every day to its fullest, and never let his condition bring anyone else down.
Willard Bernbaum loved Heights High, he loved Ohio State, he loved to party, to work and he loved to live. He was my best friend in High school and we went on together at OSU as room mates and fraternity brothers. It was through his amazing actualization of the fragility and value of his own life that many of us around him learned so much about our own.
I can’t remember a moment when he ever hinted about giving up his fight to live at its fullest. It is my understanding that Will became the first person in the world with cystic fibrosis to become a physician. Though he was pragmatic about his own realities, many around him thought he just might go on forever. One Saturday morning around 20 years ago, I called his home only to learn that his family was mourning his recent loss. He had died while waiting for a heart lung transplant that might have given us more time with him. There was no better representative of the hopes and spirit of the Heights High class of 1969 than Dr. Willard Bernbaum.
I remember Will fondly and think of him often. We were close friends in our last high school year. Will had the greatest desire to live life to its fullest and inspired me to recognize that whatever problems I may have encountered, they were not insurmountable.
Willard's memory continues to reign here at Rainbow Baby's and Children's Hospital. The Willard A. Bernbaum Cystic Fibrosis Research Center strives to understand the basic defect of cystic fibrosis and its consequences, the reasons for the lung infection and inflammation and how to treat it, and methods by which the corrective gene can be introduced into the lung. It is one of the top CF research facilities in the country, recognized nationally for treatment, research, and training of physician-scientists and basic science investigators. You can read more at: http://pediatricpulmonology.case.edu/CF_center.html Willard's time here with us was too short, but he sure made a huge impact, and left a large legacy. His courage, determination, and strength of purpose is still an inspiration for all of us.
Richard Greene
Roomed for a short time at OSU with Will. He was in great shape, except for his illness. Nice guy. He was one of the oldest with his disease. Passed away much too young.Rick Greene
Charles, (Chuck) Balcher
I remember we were about ten or twelve. We were at the front door of his house, when he told me that he had a terminal illness. He was so "matter of fact" about it. I admired his courage. He lived every day to its fullest, and never let his condition bring anyone else down.Donna Kaufman (Walter)
My memories of Will go back to elementary school (Canterbury).His illness never stopped his life - what a wonderful example of a human being.
Elliot Kirstein
Willard Bernbaum loved Heights High, he loved Ohio State, he loved to party, to work and he loved to live. He was my best friend in High school and we went on together at OSU as room mates and fraternity brothers. It was through his amazing actualization of the fragility and value of his own life that many of us around him learned so much about our own.I can’t remember a moment when he ever hinted about giving up his fight to live at its fullest. It is my understanding that Will became the first person in the world with cystic fibrosis to become a physician. Though he was pragmatic about his own realities, many around him thought he just might go on forever. One Saturday morning around 20 years ago, I called his home only to learn that his family was mourning his recent loss. He had died while waiting for a heart lung transplant that might have given us more time with him. There was no better representative of the hopes and spirit of the Heights High class of 1969 than Dr. Willard Bernbaum.
Gary Werner
I remember Will fondly and think of him often. We were close friends in our last high school year. Will had the greatest desire to live life to its fullest and inspired me to recognize that whatever problems I may have encountered, they were not insurmountable.Will's spirit is alive.
GHW
Mitchell Berg (Berg)
He was a ZBT with Elliot and I at OSU. He was very upbeat and never complained about the CF.William H. Franklin
Willard's memory continues to reign here at Rainbow Baby's and Children's Hospital. The Willard A. Bernbaum Cystic Fibrosis Research Center strives to understand the basic defect of cystic fibrosis and its consequences, the reasons for the lung infection and inflammation and how to treat it, and methods by which the corrective gene can be introduced into the lung. It is one of the top CF research facilities in the country, recognized nationally for treatment, research, and training of physician-scientists and basic science investigators. You can read more at:http://pediatricpulmonology.case.edu/CF_center.html
Willard's time here with us was too short, but he sure made a huge impact, and left a large legacy. His courage, determination, and strength of purpose is still an inspiration for all of us.