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Army hero gets one last dance in the ICU

Army veteran Bill Hahs was a decorated war hero who loved to dance. When he could no longer come to his Tuesday night dance parties, his friends brought the dance party to him in the ICU.
Army veteran Bill Hahs was a decorated war hero who loved to dance. When he could no longer come to his Tuesday night dance parties, his friends brought the dance party to him in the ICU.

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On Tuesday nights, everybody at Dance Pizzaz is shaking in their shoes.

It's their weekly party in St. Peters.

"We teach ballroom, latin and swing dancing," explains co-owner Nikki McElvain.

Even if you were born with two left feet, Nikki says you'll never be out of step here.

"So when they come in, it's not just the dancing," she says. "They end up making friends with everyone else."

That's what happened to Bill Hahs.

"When he first came to the studio, he was a little shy," adds co-owner Michael McAllister.

"His wife had passed just three years prior and I can imagine that it was really tough on him."

Hahs is a true American hero. He earned both the silver star and bronze star for bravery.

And as an Army veteran, he traveled the world with his wife of more than 60 years, often trading in his combat boots for dancing shoes.

"Dancing in the living room in the middle of the night, I can remember that getting up as a child," recalls Bill's son Ed Hahs.

After a long period of mourning, he was back and at 85-years-old, Tuesday nights would make his week.

Then, one Tuesday he didn't seem like himself.

"The next day we got a call from one of his family members that he was in the hospital," remembers Nikki.

Pulmonary disease had weakened his heart and the prognosis wasn't good.

"It was becoming more obvious that he wasn't getting better," said McAllister.

That's when Bill's family got an idea. Since Bill couldn't come to the Tuesday night dance parties, what if Nikki and Mike brought the dance party to him?

At his bedside in the Intensive Care Unit, they gave a whole new meaning to a sentimental journey.

"We had half a dozen students as well, they had party lights, we played all of his big band music that he loved listening to," says Nikki.

"He had a smile so big, you could hardly see his ears," added his son.

Doctors couldn't cure his disease but for one night, Nikki and Mike did.

Bill Hahs died the next day.

Every December, the teachers and students at Dance Pizzaz put on their Winter Showcase.

And as everybody put their best foot forward, they dedicated the night to

Bill.

"It really felt a lot to be able to give to an individual that is so caring to start with," said Nikki.

"Nikki and Mike were amazing with him and he loved them very much," Ed Hahs said.

Remembering a man who will be hard to forget and helping him dance his way right into their hearts.

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