City police recruiter Chad Balla dies at 34

ST. PETERSBURG -- As a probationary police officer, Chad Balla knew he had colon cancer, but he didn't want his fellow officers to know.

For a year, he patroled the city until he got too sick and had to take a short leave of absence. He returned to work as a city police recruiter until Thursday (Feb. 13, 2003), when he died at St. Anthony's Hospital. Mr. Balla was 34.

"He didn't want people to feel sorry for him or take pity on him," police Chief Chuck Harmon said on Friday. "He wanted to come to work do his job."

A service for Mr. Balla is at 10 a.m. today at Friendship Baptist Church, 4001 74th St. N. He will be buried in his hometown, New Kensington, Pa.

After working for police agencies in New Kensington, Mr. Balla joined the St. Petersburg Police Department in 2000.

His parents, Ron and Patricia Balla, said he loved to travel and explore new places, which brought him to Florida, where he met his fiancee, Kerry Laun.

"My heart's very heavy," his father said. "If only I could express to my son how proud I am of him."

A personal trainer, Mr. Balla played baseball and basketball. He went scuba diving. He was known, on occasion, to challenge his recruiting partner, Officer Mark Williams, to a wicked game of video football on a Play Station.

Mr. Balla displayed that same competitive spirit with his illness. "Watching him this last week and the challenges he faced, he was intent on winning," Williams said.

Three or four years ago, Mr. Balla developed stomach pains and went to see doctors in Pittsburgh. They told him he strained his stomach muscles, his father said.

On Sept. 10, 2001, doctors told him he had colon cancer, and that it had spread to his liver. The next day, the World Trade Center fell.

"Chad said, 'Mom, I can't even give these people blood because I have cancer,' " his mother said. "Rather than feeling sorry for himself, he was worried about the people in New York. That's the kind of man he was."

On the day he died, Mr. Balla was surrounded by his fiancee, officers and family. He also got a visit from Bucs fullback Mike Alstott. After Alstott shook his hand, Mr. Balla joked: "Dad, did you tell him we were Pittsburgh fans?"

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright