Catch a Cure

Fishing through Florida to Catch a Cure

I'll never forget the phone call from my father that came in the Fall of 2011. "I guess I've this cancer thing and your mother wanted me to tell you but I'll be fine. Anyway…" My dad treated cancer like just another illness, an inconvenience, something to be dealt with and ultimately to be overcome. He was raised in poverty, served his country in the Army and he certainly wasn't going to let a medical condition be some life-altering blow to his strength, determination and resolve. Despite an estimation of six months, my father battled melanoma for two years before passing in 2013. He's finally at rest. But as fishermen and outdoorsmen it's incumbent upon us to address this threat head on. We're anglers, we don't take a few casts and go home, we don't let a little weather stop us, and we certainly won't be overrun by cancer.

When I received that call from my father I was fishing my way around the country, writing and blogging for Outdoor Life in a project I designed call Fish America. More than a year after his passing, working toward my graduate degree, I think back on his words every day to find strength and direction. He always said "one more." He did one more of everything: hours of work for his family, dollars earned, clients helped and even miles walked with our golden retriever.

So this summer, in his memory, I'm hitting the road to find fish "one more" time. But this time it'll be to catch a cure. Thanks to sponsors Buff and Sunology, each pound of fish caught in the state of Florida will be a dollar toward these people at the Melanoma Research Foundation, who are working every day to educate and prevent this disease from taking more lives.

My father is in a better place but his words are still here: "one more…"

Cancer isn't an enemy we can't defeat. It's a disease that can be understood, prevented and beaten. But I can't do it alone. So I'll thank any and all of you in advance who help me, help the people here at the MRF, and help all of us toward a brighter tomorrow.

Follow my travels on my blog: https://fishingrick.wordpress.com/about/.

Thank You

Rick Bach

For more information and to donate, visit: https://events.melanoma.org/CatchACure.