JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- (Editor’s note: This story was originally published in August 2018. Tech Sgt. Trepanier applied for, and has been accepted, to attend the 2019 Air Force Trials at Nellis AFB, NV.)
A thin white coat of winter frost blanketed the Anchorage cityscape on Jan. 17, 2017. By 4:30 p.m., the deep purple haze which illuminated the Chugach mountains had all but faded. Outside a local barbershop, the darkness had set in.
Tech. Sgt. Heath Trepanier, a 381st Intelligence Squadron analyst, got three of his five children seated; the barber set to work. He pulled out his phone, called his doctor, and sat down as he was told – it was all he could do to hold his composure.
The cancer had begun an assault on his body, uncontrollably spreading and attacking muscles, fat, blood vessels and any other tissues that surround and protect the organs of his body. Leiomyosarcoma was the official diagnosis. He had a year. Maybe a little more.
One call turned into four and five as specialist after specialist began the preparation for treatment.
“We’ve since started grief counseling to try and prepare for the inevitable,” Trepanier said. “I have been very open with my kids. It’s like a football game – dad can go into overtime a couple times, but I’m never going to win the game.”
Before the diagnosis, Trepanier knew there was something wrong; the signs were there.
“I was gaining weight and couldn’t get it off no matter how hard I worked out,” he said. “I always felt fatigued, always felt tired. I found a small lump under my arm, but it was overlooked. It wasn’t until I started having pain in my pelvic area that I knew something serious was going on.”
His treatments transplanted him from Texas, to Washington and Alaska. While always on the move, there has been one constant in his life: the love and support of his family, his friends and his Air Force.
Trepaniers' hair went missing long before the side effects of his experimental treatment kicked in. His skin shines with a slight yellow tint, a possible side effect of the treatment, but warmth follows him at all times, emphasized by his smile – a permanent fixture on his face.
As word spread of his diagnosis an overwhelming amount of support has reached Trepanier. Through text messages, phone calls and social media posts, well wishes and words of support have been relayed – including one unexpected video call with the Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright.
Despite his current trials, he remains positive.
“We preach being a wingman or an Airman, but people really showed it, and people who I wouldn’t have expected it from,” Trepanier said. “We all go through things. Our battles are all different. What I might be going through was made for what I can handle. Divorce, or deployment, those stressors are all made for the individual.
“I never thought in a million years I’d get cancer,” he said. “I’m not upset over it. I wouldn’t give it to anyone else. I’m glad I have it, and not some 18 or 19 year old Airman. I’ve lived. I’ve had the opportunity to deploy and serve my country, have kids, be married. I’ve had the opportunity to do anything and everything I’ve ever wanted to.”
Trepanier is continuing his treatment. He’s surpassed the 12 month timeline he was given.
“I’m just a guy who is going through a battle that has his wingman on both sides,” Trepanier said. “And they’re battling with me. The guys in my unit, my sister squadron, family and friends. I know they’re battling with me.”
He’s become a transient, like many Alaskans, splitting his time between Washington and the Last Frontier.
He’s pledged to fight for his life; too many people depend on him.