Those of you at the Dexter Ardoin show Friday night at the Highway 99 Blues Club are aware of the gentleman who collapsed, and many have inquired as to his welfare. The following is information I’ve gleaned from those present, and primarily from our beloved Bonnie Thomas, his dear and close friend.

His name was Marc O’Regan, and he passed away Friday night (at 53 years of age) from an apparent heart attack, despite the valiant efforts of the doctor and nurses in attendance who leapt to his aid, and to the subsequent efforts of an extensive team of paramedics. Most moving to me were not only those who immediately came to his aid to render CPR and medical assistance, but those who surrounded him with touching gestures of care: one gentleman holding Marc’s hand just after he fell, looking into his eyes and feeling the strength ebb from his grip; another cradling Marc’s head in his hands until paramedics arrived; a woman holding Marc’s wallet in a determined effort to identify and recognize this man in distress; people witnessing on the periphery, surrounding him in quiet prayer and hopes for recovery.

Tending door that night in his usual spot by the entry was Billy (hailing from Lafayette, Louisiana, the Motherland of Zydeco music), who said he enjoyed very much watching Marc and Bonnie dance near him, both smiling and having the time of their lives. Others, watching Marc in action, thought him an excellent dancer, and either danced with him or made a note to add him to their dance cards. Instructor MaryLee Lykes, observing him only from behind, recognized him as a former dance student who did quite well in classes, and remembers him as a somewhat shy man with an unfailingly sweet demeanor, who “always had a welcoming smile.”

Marc recently returned from an extended trip to Pakistan, where he went specifically to help earthquake victims (an article in the March 2006 issue of Reader’s Digest details his efforts there; see Operation Heartbeat article or www.rd.com/content/openContent.do?contentId=21782). Just prior to that, he’d been on the front lines in the Gulf Coast, after Hurricane Katrina hit, performing house to house search and rescue, and offering massages to other aid workers. A former Navy Seal, Marc relished being at the heart of the action, where he could do the most good. He was also a physician’s assistant, acupuncturist, and avid diver.

Many of us remain profoundly affected and moved by the experience of Marc’s death, and it’s comforting to me to hear how completely he shared his life with those in deep need. Bonnie said his family, in Santa Barbara, CA, noted to her how Marc exhibited a profound shift upon his return from Pakistan, and how he reverently stated: “My heart is full.” On a CD he prepared and distributed recently to close friends was a song with the words “Dance me to the end of love.”

Please keep Marc, his family, and friends in your thoughts and prayers, and may his compassionate action and blessed light inspire us all.