Leap of faith: A survivor's journey and the surgeon who jumped with him

When Raymond “Bruce” Hill’s home caught fire on Sept. 29, everything he owned was gone within minutes. The flames left him with serious burns to his feet and arm, injuries that required surgery and a long recovery. But Bruce, who had already rebuilt his life once before, refused to let tragedy define him.

At TriStar Skyline Medical Center, Bruce began treatment with Tommy Tran, MD, a burn surgeon at the hospital’s Burn Center. What began as a frightening moment quickly turned into something unexpected; a friendship built on humor, trust and shared humanity.

From addiction to advocacy

Before the fire, Bruce had faced another kind of battle. After surviving an overdose in 2019, he found a new sense of purpose in helping others. He founded Recovery Warriors: whatwasisnomore, a group of survivors who celebrate their second chance at life through skydiving.

Each year, Bruce and his team take to the skies to honor lives lost to addiction and to show that healing and hope are possible. For Bruce, every jump from 10,000 feet is both a tribute and a testimony, a reminder that “when the past no longer defines you; freedom is possible.”

An unexpected promise

While preparing for surgery at TriStar Skyline, Bruce joked with Dr. Tran to calm his nerves, “You’ll just have to jump for me this year.”

Without missing a beat, Dr. Tran smiled and replied, “Alright, I will.”

Bruce reminded him later in a text and again during an outpatient visit. True to his word, Dr. Tran kept his promise. He joined this year’s Recovery Warriors Jump, taking the leap in Bruce’s honor to celebrate his patient’s resilience and their shared belief in new beginnings.

“Maybe it’s the burn surgeon in me,” Dr. Tran said. “Maybe it’s the part of me that sees a little of myself in every survivor I meet. But when Bruce asked, I said yes, and I meant it.”

For Bruce, that gesture said more than words ever could.

“Doctors are people too,” Bruce said. “Dr. Tran didn’t have to do that, but he did. That shows compassion. That’s what it means to truly care.”

Looking toward the next jump

Now preparing for his fifth annual Recovery Warriors Jump, Bruce is training and healing with a renewed sense of purpose. His goal is to set a Guinness World Record for the most participants skydiving in recovery.

“This next jump means everything,” Bruce said. “It’s about proving that no matter what you’ve been through - be it addiction, loss, pain - you can still rise. I’m not done jumping. I’m just getting started.”

As Bruce looks toward the sky once again, his story reminds us that compassion can inspire courage, and that the human spirit can soar even after the hardest falls.

“Sometimes the bravest leaps aren’t from airplanes,” Dr. Tran said. “They’re the ones we take toward healing, hope and new beginnings.”