Pennsylvania Police Officer Helps Stranger With Cancer

— -- A Pennsylvania police officer and a stranger with cancer say they will now be “lifelong friends” after the police officer’s generous act bound them together.

Mike Bauman, a 40-year-old father of three kids under the age of 10, was eating lunch with his wife, Kelly, at Eat'n Park in Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, Tuesday afternoon when they met Officer Garret Lukacs.

Both the Baumans and Lukacses are regular customers at the restaurant and began talking over lunch through their mutual friend and waitress, Lindsey Cox.

“Lindsey and I were just small talking and she walked away and we [Lukacs and Bauman] started talking,” said Lukacs. “We just got on the topic of his family and that he had three small children.”

Bauman has a 9-year-old daughter and two sons, ages 7 and 5, with Kelly, a chiropractor. The former medical sales professional told ABC News he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in early March after severe stomach pain led him to undergo a colonoscopy.

He underwent surgery on March 3 to remove two tumors from his colon, he said, and is now awaiting lab results to determine whether his treatment plan will include chemotherapy or an alternative cancer treatment.

In order to help cover his medical expenses, Bauman and his family are organizing a spaghetti dinner and happened to have just-printed flyers for the fundraiser when they went to lunch on Tuesday.

“After we were done talking, I leaned over and asked him if he’d be willing to take the flyer and show it to the guys at his station,” Bauman said of Lukacs. “He looked it at and saw my picture, and said, ‘This is you.’”

Bauman explained his diagnosis to Lukacs, they had another short conversation and then Lukacs left while the Baumans finished their meal, Bauman said.

Lukacs only made it to the restaurant’s cash register, however, before he said he knew he had to help.

“I went up to the waitress and asked if I could cover their meal, and she said, ‘I already have it covered,’” Lukacs told ABC News. “I wanted to do something for them, so I went and got a gift card and asked her to just give it anonymously.”

Cox waited until Lukacs had left the restaurant and then gave the Baumans the $100 gift card to Eat’n Park.

Bauman realized it came from Lukacs. He said he and his wife were blown away.

“I think my wife summarized it best when she said we feel like we were touched by an angel,” Bauman said. “We didn’t know him at all, and a 20-minute conversation led to this generous donation and what I perceive as a lifelong friendship.”

Lukacs said he wanted his gift to remain anonymous, but he is now glad that his generosity was made public because it has “created a friendship” with Bauman.

“You just feel for them, that they have such small children,” he said. “I’ve had family members fight cancer and I have a general understanding of the struggle.”

Bauman and his family are optimistic about his recovery and putting all their focus into raising money to cover his medical expenses and creating Cancer Battle Wear, which Bauman describes as an online community for “cancer warriors" and survivors.

“I really want to have an opportunity to reach out to people with cancer, colon cancer specifically,” said Bauman, who added he is also currently seeking assistance to set up a non-profit foundation to “pay it forward” to other families with cancer.

“This can happen to anyone. I’m 40-years-old,” he said. “I want people to know to not be afraid to have a colonoscopy and to get treated if your stomach hurts or if you have any other symptoms.”