In June of 2017, when the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center first opened for patient care on the Nebraska Medical Center campus, lead donor Pamela Buffett could not have predicted she would be sitting in one of its rooms just over three years later, comforting her newfound friend – a friend who was preparing to die from a devastating disease that has ripped far too many people from the arms of their loved ones.

Yet, here she sat alongside Eric Peterson.

Years ago, Eric, 72, and his wife of 23 years, Connie, would have never believed they would one day have the personal cell number of one of Omaha’s notable philanthropists saved in their contacts. They would not have been able to comprehend talking to her daily about shared joys and struggles.

Yet, their similar sets of tragedies brought them together and allowed them to experience a mutual bond and understanding.

Pamela knows what it feels like to grieve deeply and experience life’s unpredictable turns. She and her husband of 30 years, the late Fred “Fritz” Buffett, lost their youngest daughter, Rebecca Susan Buffett, in 1978 to a congenital heart condition when she was only 7 years old. Fred later lost his battle with kidney cancer in 1997.

Eric maintained a healthy lifestyle – walking four miles each day and mowing his yard twice a week. He never experienced any real health issues that he couldn’t handle himself. He and Connie took a trip to Florida in 2018. During a layover in St. Louis, Missouri, upon their return trip home to Omaha, Eric recalls feeling such agonizing pain that he asked Connie to take him to the ER.

While doctors at that initial ER gave him enough morphine to allow him to travel comfortably, they advised him to seek immediate care once he returned home. This is what led the couple to the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center.

Over the next several months, Eric shared a path that had previously been traveled by Fred. Their journeys included cancer diagnosis, shock, radiation, chemo, surgical removal of tumors, hope, fear and acceptance.

While rhabdomyosarcoma is the type of cancer that senselessly ravaged Eric’s body over the last two years, the man’s mind, free-loving spirit and sense of humor have all remained intact and, arguably, have come out on top in the end. 

As he lives out his remaining days on hospice care, he has been able to reflect on what Pamela’s friendship has meant to him.

“One of the nurses asked me one day while I was in the shower if I’d like to meet Pamela Buffett,” Eric says. “I answered, ‘Probably not now.’” That made the nurse laugh before he clarified, “No, not now, just some time.”

Eric thought that sounded like a good idea.

Unbeknownst to him at the time, Los Angeles, California, based Pamela had made it a habit to reach out to care team members within the cancer center while in Omaha. She would ask them if there were patients whom she could visit with in their time of need. She couldn’t give these patients miracle cures, but she could give them her undivided attention and empathy.

For Eric and Connie, this meant watching Big Ten football together, talking about their days and having her answer every single call or text every single time.

“She’s the nicest lady in the world, and I couldn’t ask for a better friend,” Eric says of Pamela. “We talk two to three times a day.”

“Just because you have a lot of money doesn’t mean you have to wear it on your sleeve,” he continues. “You can go to the corner bar and you can enjoy life. We’re going to have to go out for a drink sooner than we think. I know that she’ll be here when I call.”

As highly as Eric speaks of his newfound friend, Pamela’s feelings for him are mutually strong.

“I can absolutely remember the days of suffering great sadness,” Pamela recalls. “I try to use empathy from my own situation to help people like Eric and Connie through their time of grief.

“It has been such a joy for me to get to know them and to hear him laugh. Eric has been a treasured friend and a special gift in my life.”

While those who have known her the longest would say that Pamela was born with generosity in her soul, she credits her parents, Ralph Bartling and Katherine Swift, for laying the foundation. She also thanks Fred and his cousin, Warren Buffett, for making it possible for her to carry out her charitable work. 

In that vein, she will be making a donation to fund pediatric cancer research at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center in Eric’s honor – a gift that is near and dear to his heart. She will also be funding a room with Connie and Eric’s name on it at Thresholds, a program for people with mental health problems in Chicago, as a gift for Connie. In these ways, Eric’s legacy will live on.

Pamela feels compelled and honored to visit patients who are receiving benefits that the cancer center provides. Among those benefits for Eric are his doctors and nurses.

According to Eric, medical oncologist Nicole Shonka, MD, surgical oncologist Quan Ly, MD, and case management nurse Dawn Ryan played a large part of his care team.

“You hate cancer, but you’ve got to love the people who work against it,” he says.

Connie adds, “Dr. Shonka is very caring, but at the same time, is very straightforward, which is what we both needed. Dawn was his case manager, and we could call her at any time. If we had issues, we called her.”

Dr. Ly shot a special video, capturing the moment when Eric busted through finish line tape completing a 5K walk just six days after surgery to remove his tumor.

The couple talks about reaching the point when they all realized they were hurting Eric more than they were helping him, and it was at that time, the decision was made to move him to hospice care.

A lot can happen in life in a little bit of time. Under similar circumstances, many in Eric’s shoes would have self-imploded under the weight of it all. Not Eric. He doesn’t feel like he’s lost life. He instead feels like he’s gained friendships.

“Relationships are important. I had a lot of fun with the nurses. I would tell them ‘Girls go out and run down to Don & Millie’s and get me a Double Don and a margarita.’” Eric says. “The teams at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center are so remarkable, and I can’t say enough about them.”

Nebraska Medicine can’t say enough about you, Eric. It was an honor and a privilege to care for you.

Eric passed away on Sunday, Nov. 22. Our thoughts go out to his loved ones.