After four months of chemotherapy, Robert Reichenberg received a gift he has never forgotten.
Mary Ellen, one of the nurses who cared for him, had asked her husband to paint a large picture of Robert as a pitcher. Across the painting were the words, “Robert, we’re in your bullpen.” Every nurse on the floor signed it.
“They knew how much baseball meant to me and how difficult it was not being able to play during treatment,” Robert remembers. “That painting made me feel seen. I wasn’t just another patient in a hospital room. They knew who I was, and they truly felt like family.”
The words on the painting, “we’re in your bullpen,” stayed with Robert long after treatment ended.
In December 2016, Robert had just turned 17. One evening, he and his brother were watching television at home. When a commercial came on, his brother went upstairs to get a snack. That was when Robert’s father came downstairs and told him that doctors had confirmed he had Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma.
His father and stepmother had already spoken with Robert’s oncologist about the diagnosis and treatment plan, so there was a path forward when they shared the news.
“I don’t think I completely understood how serious everything was at first,” Robert says. “I knew I had cancer, but I also knew there was a plan. I wanted to begin treatment as soon as possible and do whatever I needed to do.”
What followed were four rounds of chemotherapy over four months. During that time, Hope & Heroes helped make Robert’s experience about more than medicine.
Integrative therapies, including acupuncture, helped him manage the side effects of treatment. Arts and Medicine programs, games, and other activities gave him opportunities to take his mind off cancer. Child Life specialists stayed beside him during difficult procedures and helped make unfamiliar situations feel less frightening.
Robert particularly remembers walking into a cold, white procedure room with a single window for his first spinal tap. He did not know what to expect. The procedure was long and uncomfortable, but the Child Life team remained with him throughout it.
For his next spinal tap, Robert was referred to Dr. Michael Weiner. Partway through the procedure, Dr. Weiner’s phone rang. He joked that it was the White House calling, but they would have to wait because Robert was more important.
“It sounds like a small thing, but I still remember it nearly ten years later,” Robert says. “He made me laugh during a procedure I had been dreading. He made me feel calm, safe, and important. In that moment, I felt invincible.”
The people caring for Robert became one of the most meaningful parts of his experience. Maggie was his daytime nurse, while Mary Ellen frequently cared for him in the evenings and during overnight stays. Robert would smile whenever he learned that one of them would be his nurse.
“They took the time to know me as a person,” he says. “I will always have a special place in my heart for the doctors, nurses, and medical staff who helped save my life.”
Nearly a decade later, cancer is no longer the center of Robert’s daily life, but the experience continues to shape how he lives.
“Cancer taught me not to spend so much time worrying about the little things,” he explains. “I try to be present and appreciate the people and opportunities in my life. It was an incredibly difficult experience, but it helped shape the person I am today.”
Now 26, Robert lives in Bergen County with his family and their dog, Rooster. He has been with his girlfriend for more than three years, and she means the world to him. He remains close with his twin brother, older brother, and sister-in-law. In July 2024, he became an uncle.
“Becoming an uncle was one of those moments that made me stop and think about everything I could have missed,” Robert says. “Without the research, medical care, and programs supported by Hope & Heroes, I might not have been here for it. Moments like that remind me how fortunate I am to have the life I have today.”
Robert works as an accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers while also working alongside his father, a solo accounting practitioner. He looks forward to continuing to grow personally and professionally, expanding his career and business, and building a family of his own one day.
Giving back is also an important part of the future Robert is building.
As a Hope & Heroes Patient Ambassador, he has shared his story, built awareness, and raised more than $80,000 for the organization. He also serves on the junior board of The Valerie Fund, helping organize events and advocate for children with cancer and blood disorders.
“I feel like this is only the beginning,” Robert says. “So many people showed up for my family and me during treatment. I want to continue sharing my story and giving back so other children and families know that people are standing behind them too.”
If Robert could speak with a child beginning treatment today, he would want them to know that they do not have to face it alone and that there is much more life waiting for them beyond treatment.
“There will be difficult days, and it may be hard to imagine what comes next,” he says. “But there are people you haven’t met, milestones you haven’t reached, and experiences you cannot picture yet. There is a life on the other side of treatment.”
“When I was 17, I had an entire bullpen behind me. Now I want to be part of that bullpen for the next child and family who needs one.”
Join Robert in raising awareness and support for local children with cancer or blood disorders. Consider making your tax-deductible gift to Hope & Heroes today.
