Gamma Rho/Florida State brother, Oliver Bucknell (2015) recently entered the chapter eternal after a 4 year battle with cancer. He was 22 years old. The men of Gamma Rho Chapter remained supportive throughout his fight and hosted a vigil recently to bid farewell.
The Odessey, a national online Greek life newspaper provided a follow up story about brother Bucknell. Below is a reprinted section of the article, with permission from Meredith Gezes and Natalie Ales from.
Cancer Doesn't Discriminate: In Loving Memory of Oliver Bucknell
We don’t always know when and we don’t always understand why, but loss is something every person must face at some point in his or her life. It’s not something we can control and many times it’s not something we can stop or prevent. The loss of anyone, be it your best friend, someone in your chapter, or simply the boy that sits next to you in your 8 a.m., can really put life into perspective.
As college students, we tend to get caught up in the day-to-day struggles and lose sight of the important things in life. We choose to put ourselves in this bubble of college and forget about problems in the outside world, concerning ourselves mainly with where we are going out on Thursday night and where we should order dinner in from.
This bubble slowly begins to seem like reality; a reality where the hardest decision we make on a daily basis is deciding whether to nap or study for the midterm we have the next day. Why is that? Why do we let ourselves lose sight of what’s really important in life? Why does it take a tragedy to put everything into perspective? Why does it often take losing someone to find ourselves? We say we spend all this time with our friends, but how much of that time are we actually present? Sure we are there physically, but how many times are you just there with someone? Forget the iPhone. Forget the Netflix. When was the last time we sat down and were just present with one another, talking and actually hearing what that person has to say?
After experiencing a loss of my own at a young age, a grief counselor told me that statistically speaking, you’re supposed to get four years between each major loss in your life. This month alone, we’ve unfortunately lost four members of our community. We don’t all know these people personally, if at all, but as a community, we mourn the loss of each and every one of them. I cannot put into words how I would feel losing a member of my chapter. Not seeing someone’s face when you usually do passing him or her in the lunch line or in the seat next to you at chapter. You don’t expect to hear of someone so close to your age passing from the awful disease that is cancer and you begin to ask yourself “why?” Why him? Why would someone so good have to deal with something as terrible as cancer?
“Oliver was one of the brightest, loving people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. He exemplified what it meant to be a great brother and friend. He was constantly smiling and bringing joy to everyone around him. I have truly never met a more determined person in all of my life. Those who had the pleasure of meeting him were extremely lucky and those whom did not can still strive to live his legacy.” –Chapter President, Sam Harper (Gamma Rho/Florida State 2016).
To read the full article click here.
This article was posted with written permission from David Walker, Editor-in-Chief of FSView & Florida Flambleu
Theta Chi Honors Brother Lost To Cancer
[On October 8th] the fraternity celebrated Bucknell at a candlelight vigil in Heritage Grove, the way he impacted the lives of those around him was obvious.
"He was an aspiring body builder, a DJ, a helicopter pilot; he gave numerous public speeches for a number of cancer foundations throughout the state," Tyler Amado, a Theta Chi brother, said during the vigil. "There really isn't enough time in the day to describe how talented and inspiration Oliver was."
During the vigil, several of Bucknell's closest friends talked about their experiences with him and the way he changed their lives forever. Following the anecdotes there was a song tribute and candles were lit as the sun set over Heritage Grove.
"He was just one the most unique, most inspirational people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing," said Sam Harper, one of Bucknell's fraternity brothers and a close friend. "Anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him was lucky. Anyone who didn't should strive to live the way that he lived. He lived a short life but he did so much in his life more than any other 22 year-old ever has. He was just an amazing guy."
According to the Theta Chi national website, Bucknell was diagnosed with Stage III Metastatic Melanoma in February of 2011. He had underwent three surgeries. In 2012, a small cancerous nodule in his right wrist bumped his diagnosis to Stage IV.
"So much can be learned from Oliver. He made me a better person; he exemplified humility with everything he did, " Amado said. "He was someone who went through so many hardships and still accomplished so much; he was still so humble about everything. You would never know how much pain he was in while he was hanging out with you. He let his actions speak louder than his words. He showed me what hard work and dedication really looks like and first-hand what it can achieve. He was one of the most ambitious people that I have ever met and probably ever will. "
Following that diagnosis and the diagnosis of another fraternity member Adam Jankowski with Stage IV lymphoma, the fraternity rallied to fundraise for their treatment. Fraternity members shaved their heads for every $100 dollars raised. Ultimately, they were able to raise over $30,000.
As a final goodbye the fraternity released four yellow balloons, as the crowd hugged and cried. Ultimately, everyone wanted to remember the good times. Amado described how Bucknell's dynamic personality affected everything he did.
The view the original article click here.
Theta Chi Fraternity offers its deepest condolences to the Bucknell family, the men of Gamma Rho Chapter and the entire FSU community. Services for Oliver are being held today at Palms-Roberts Funeral Home in Sarasota, FL.