vermont, the home of childhood friend jeff. he said to me before coming up, i want to find some time to spend alone with you. reporter: nothing could have prepared him for what bruce was about to ask. of course without skipping a heartbeat, i said, bruce, absolutely yes. i was saying will you just be there and will you take this one side of me and will you convey them that idea. reporter: jeff would capture bruce s adventurous side. his philosophy, get off the beaten track. and that s the spirit bruce wanted jeff to teach eden and tidie. i will get them out of their comfort zone and help them to see the world. reporter: it would take five more men to complete the council. childhood buddy ben edwards to show the girls where their dad came from.
the counsel, now formed, snapped into action. being surrounded by these male voices, watching the girls relate to them was really fascinating and enriching. this sounds also great and, you know, i think we all crave something like this in our lives, but a lot of it is predicated on bruce not being around anymore. it s where it originated, but it s not where it went. reporter: in the months to come, each man assumed his role and began making special connections to eden and tybee. we sat down. we were talking about who these men are, and they were going through it. oh, yeah, there s tadpole, we went tadpole fishing with them. and tractor jack. he took us skiing. okay. and there s chocolate chip david because he likes to make chocolate chip cookies with us. so already even in their minds, each of them has a personality that they already associate with them. reporter: the the counsel was
back, we ll be there for him. the postcards will come back. so tell jeff who came to visit in the past reporter: but for now, they live in the moment. april 15th, 2010, eden and tybee s 5th birthday, the the counsel has convened in brooklyn to celebrate life and the very special community bruce has built for his girls. dear tybee and eden, we never know when our last word may come, so i beg of you, be washed in love every day, with family, with friends, with your counsel of dads. and whatever adventures your take, i ll be whispering in your ear, gently nudging you on your
dear friend, as you know i recently learned that i have a seven-inch cancerous tumor in my left leg. that afternoon tybee and eden would just turn 3, came running to greet me, laughing, giggling, falling to the ground. i crumbled. i kept imagining all the walks i might not take with them, the ballet recitals i might not see, but they wonder where i was, i thought what they yearn for my voice. i believe eden and tybee will have plenty of opportunities in their lives. they ll have each other, but they may not have me. they may not have their dad. will you help be their dad?
became the cancer versus the girls. reporter: the twins, they were born on april 15th, 2005, tax day. the doctor joked early filer and late filer. the parents named them eden and trialy. eden for the bible s perfect garden which bruce was looking for when linda learned she was pregnant. i love you. reporter: and t tybee for the coastal island where bruce and linda were married. the girls were named to be adventurers like their father and his plan was to be there every step of the way. you girls like walking to school like this? exactly. reporter: with daddy? do you do this every morning. yes. every day i m actually astounded by their relationship. reporter: but again, it was that day in 2008 that jeopardized everything about the