Beer lovers know the name Rahr & Sons. The popular brewery on the south side of downtown Fort Worth produces award-winning craft beers.
But for the past two years its founder, Fritz Rahr, has been in the fight of his life, batting colon cancer.
"I had Stage 3 colorectal cancer. It was a mass tumor and also in 23 lymph nodes in and around my abdomen," Rahr said.
In early 2022, Rahr stepped away from the business to focus on his treatment. He turned the brewery's operations over to his two sons. Rahr's wife, Tara, took on the role of head nurse.
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"I'm like, 'We just got married. You're not going to die on me now,'" she said.
Rahr underwent an aggressive combination of radiation and chemotherapy.
"The doctor said we're going to take you to within an inch of your life and then hopefully we'll take care of everything. And that's what they did." Rahr said the pain was excruciating.
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Ten months later, Rahr was cancer free. He has returned to the brewery.
"I'm excited to be back in the beer industry. Two years was a long time to be away," Rahr said.
However, it's not business as usual. The Rahrs are now on a mission to raise awareness about the importance of early cancer detection.
"We didn't realize so many things," said Tara. "We were so ignorant about it basically. Now we just want to give back."
They believe the brewery is the perfect place.
"We're kind of a civic center in the town. A place of fellowship and brotherhood where people come and enjoy beer," Fritz said.
And everyone knows that beer makes any conversation easier.
