(As told by Cyrus, seen here with daughter, Rozie) The Bacchis
came to Ellis Island from Sicily in 1899, with four children in
tow including my father, Rosario, as well as his three brothers
and sisters. Little did America know that a miracle had arrived.
According to family lore, Rosario began his career making and
selling sandwiches in the family deli that were later dubbed
"heroes" possibly foreshadowing what was yet to come. He attended
medical school, became a doctor and went on to deliver over two
thousand immigrant babies and care for many more. My mother
became a nurse and operating room supervisor in the 1920's, a
major achievement for a woman in that time. I wanted to continue
the family tradition of helping others and, throughout my career,
worked in the lab to research effective treatments for the
disease known as Sleeping Sickness. The disease affects
thousands of people on the continent of Africa. My team and I
published our findings in March of 1980 and since then have
developed treatments that have saved thousands of lives something
I am very proud of, and something I know my ancestors would also
be very proud of. My family tradition is alive and well in my
daughter Rozie, who strives to help people in her life each and
every day.