USC men's basketball assistant Martin Bahar lost his sister to leukemia several years ago and has been walking in her name as part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk with his family the past seven years. In total, the Bahar family has raised more than $160,000 for "Maddie's Team." Since Bahar arrived at USC in July 2015, members of USC's men's basketball team have rallied around him and supported the Bahar family's mission.My beautiful sister, Madeleine Beverly Bahar, passed in February 2009 at the young age of 25. As she valiantly battled leukemia, our family developed a relationship with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and became aware of its annual Light the Night Walk. By October of 2009, several months after her tragic death, my family began participating in the Light the Night Walk and fundraising for the event in my late sister's name as part of "Maddie's Team."
Â
The Light the Night Walk is an annual event that occurs in various cities across the country, where people walk in honor of those who presently battle blood cancers, those who have passed from the terrible disease and those who have courageously fought and survived. It's an outdoor walk with food, games and activities that brings a lot of people together. The entire atmosphere is incredibly uplifting and, from a personal perspective, it gives our family a manner through which we can honor our beloved Maddie and so many others in a positive fashion.
Â
One great aspect of the Light the Night Walk is that there are opportunities to do the walk all over the country. This means wherever you live, you can likely fundraise, walk, participate and spend time with great people who have good hearts and really care about others. For example, since my family is from Potomac, MD, a suburb of Washington, D.C., we raise money for the National Capital Area chapter and walk at their Rockville location every year.
In August 2009, I took a coaching position at Princeton University and moved to New Jersey, some three hours away from Potomac. Because I was so close to home, I was able to drive home every fall to join my family for the walk. In 2011, I took an assistant job at Fairfield University in Connecticut, which was three hours north of Princeton. Even though I wasn't able to make the walk every year that I lived in Connecticut, I was still actively fundraising and doing everything possible to bring attention to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's cause.
Â
I can genuinely say that I've thought about my late sister every single day since her passing. Even as the years go on, I still get emotional on the October evenings when my friends and family get together with so many other families at the Light the Night Walk. As time passes, I'm constantly proud of how my family has honored her through our fundraising, but I always wish that she was still here with us on earth, beaming, and sharing her joy of life with others like she always used to.
Â
USC MEN'S BASKETBALL & MADDIE'S TEAMÂ
My wife and I moved to Los Angeles in July of 2015. While still fundraising for the National Capital Area's chapter, we have participated in the walk here in Los Angeles the last two Octobers. The Los Angeles walk takes place at LA Live, very close to the USC campus.
Â
In 2015, then-freshman Chimezie Metu joined my family for our first walk in Los Angeles. The moment he learned about the event, he expressed strong interest in attending. Chimezie's an intelligent and well-rounded kid with a heart of gold, and he and I have really bonded since we both first stepped foot on campus last summer. He comes to my office often --- to the point where I joke with him that he's actually a member of our coaching staff. Wherever life takes him after his USC days, he and I will be in touch forever. He was the first player I have ever coached who has attended the event, so I feel forever indebted to him.
Â
Last month, I invited all of our men's basketball student-athletes to attend the event, and the response was astounding. Our players' support of the cause reinforces my belief that our student-athletes are of the highest character --- something our coaching staff takes immense pride in. It shows their hearts, their ability to think outside of their own world and their penchant for helping others. My wife and our family were so pleasantly surprised to have Chimezie Metu, Charles Buggs, Kurt Karis, Bennie Boatwright, De'Anthony Melton, Jonah Mathews, Nick Rakocevic, Derryck Thornton, Harrison Henderson and Devin Fleming walk with us this year. All of our student-athletes know how special this cause is to my family, so to have such an incredible turnout was one of the proudest and most emotional moments I've had as a college basketball coach. It meant the world to the Bahar family and is something I will certainly always be thankful for.
Â
This October, members of the Trojan men's basketball team personified what the Trojan Family motto is all about. They showed that USC's student-athletes see the big picture and are trying to make a profound difference in the ongoing fight against blood cancer.
