City councilor undergoes cancer surgery

A Portales city councilor is hospitalized following surgery Wednesday to remove cancerous tumors in his colon, officials said.

Alfred Bachicha, 79, was diagnosed with cancer on Tuesday and taken to the Amarillo Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, City Manager Debi Lee said.

“Our family has always been faith driven,” Chris Bachicha said. “You have to keep your faith in God that everything will be OK.”

Chris Bachicha said his father had a heart attack four years ago. The only positive from the experience was that his dad had more frequent visits and checkups with his doctors. It was during a checkup on Tuesday in which doctors were able to find the cancer early, Chris Bachicha said.

Joann Martinez-Terry, Portales’ city clerk, said Alfred Bachicha was sworn in as city councilor in March of 2000. He ran uncontested and won re-election in March of 2004 to represent Ward A. Bachicha is also a member of the Portales City Finance Committee.

Becky Duran said she went with her father to Amarillo. She said he was moved from the hospitals’ Intensive Care Unit to a patient room on Friday.

“I think he’s doing really good,” Duran said. “He was up and walking around on Thursday. We’re a close-knit family. We rely on each other for a lot of support.”

She said he could be released from the hospital as early as today.

Martinez-Terry said city representatives are hopeful he’ll be feeling better soon.

“Alfred is a very kind man and very sharp,” Martinez-Terry said. “He’s very ethical and has done an excellent job of representing his constituents.”