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By Michael Dapper
VRA Page Webmaster
Sadly, we report that Dr. Samuel J. Hassenbusch III – “Dr. Sam” – has passed away after a courageous, vigorous and innovative battle with cancer. He passed away February 25.
Dr. Sam was a neurosurgeon at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He was also a teacher, mentor, inspiration and, best of all, a loving husband and father.
And oh yes, he was also a Victory Rider, which was how we got to know him from afar. We saw Dr. Sam featured in an article in Newsweek magazine. The article described creative new strategies for combating cancer, including a new vaccine that showed great promise in preliminary testing. When tests showed that Dr. Sam had glioblastomas – brain tumors for which there has previously been no successful long-term treatment – he stepped forward to make the new vaccine a part of his aggressive fight against the cancer.
The photo accompanying the Newsweek article showed him sitting on his motorcycle: a Victory Vegas. So we contacted him to discuss his interests in bikes and his fight against cancer. During our 90 minutes on the phone, we probably spent an hour talking bikes, and he could have continued on the topic had time permitted.
He loved his bike, had it accessorized to exactly suit his style, and loved riding. Once he discovered he had cancer, riding served as a form of therapy, freeing him from thoughts of his medical challenges. He rode almost daily to and from work, and like a true biker, those 3-mile jaunts had a way of turning into 30-mile cruises on days when it was just too nice out to end the ride.
When he couldn’t ride his Vegas any longer, he purchased a Lehman PitBoss, a trike built out of a Kingpin, because he considered Victory to be the best brand on the road.
You can learn more about Dr. Sam by reading his V Rider of the Month profile, or by visiting the website his family has created in his honor.
Great guy, great family man, great doctor and a fellow Victory Rider. He will be missed.
Godspeed, Dr. Sam.
Top thumbnail photo courtesy F.Carter Smith – www.fcartersmith.com
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