Nic turned 31 in December. “So many people in my family were scared for me. I made it” past his father’s passing, Batum said. That fear — would he, too, die young? — surfaced consciously and subconsciously for many years. While he was just beyond infancy — his younger sister a month old — Batum recalls watching his father’s death as if the funeral was last week. “I remember it all. When you see your dad die before your eyes, it’s so difficult to grow up with,” Batum said.