robert, from los angeles, had four children from a previous marriage when he met helen through friends in the early 1960s..

when bruschi suffered a stroke in 2005, he was treated at massachusetts general hospital, which he said was well equipped to handle the medical emergency..

chemotherapy involved two hours at the hospital every other week. he'd leave wearing a fanny pack that would continue to deliver treatment for 48 straight hours, one slow drip at a time..