Chris Betancourt and Dillon Hill are on a mission together: to live each day as it was their last. For one of the young men, that idea is closer to the truth than most would want.
Betancourt, 20, from North Carolina was diagnosed with Chronic Mylogenous Leukemia in 2009. He managed to enter remission but he was told in September that the cancer had come back.
If Betancourt does not have a successful bone marrow transplant, then he has one to two years to live, the doctors have told him.
His 19-year-old buddy dropped out of college with the idea to help him make the most out of his remaining time in life, and so they made up a bucket list.
Initially, their list was to do 50 things such as help feed homeless people, sing for a large audience, and see the Sequoia National Forest in California.
Another item on their bucket list was to appear on TV.
“When he called me, he also mentioned he was afraid of not being able to experience life,” said Hill.
“Chris was first diagnosed in fifth grade, and in his sophomore year, his sister suicided,” he said.
“I have been with him through all of this and he has never been able to have a childhood or do things that normal people do.
“Now he has a time limit.”
Betancourt described the journey with his best friend as “amazing.”
“It’s fantastic to actually experience life.”
Another one of their buddies, Hrach Avetisyan, has also joined in to help Betancourt reach his life goals.
