Chief 1 Run/Walk 5K

I am beyond excited to invite you all to register and participate in our second annual Chief 1 Run (5K Run/Walk) in honor of my grandfather, George E. Gorman. Last year was an amazing turn out and we can only hope for more participants and fundraising this year! My family and I appreciate and love our little community so much. 

George began his fire fighting career at a shipyard along the coast of New Hampshire, which is where he was unfortunately exposed to asbestos, resulting in mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a fatal cancer typically found in the lining of the lungs. Each year, nearly 3,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. Virtually all cases are linked to asbestos. 

I vividly remember the day my grandfather was first diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2013. My family and I were concerned, confused, uneducated, but above all, we were scared. We couldn't wrap our minds around the fact that someone who was so hardworking, so respected and looked up to, had gotten sick from doing something he loved - saving lives and making a difference through fire fighting. In the beginning, we were given a very short life expectancy, and, along with everything else he did, George pushed through, gave it his all, and continued to make a difference each and everyday despite being given a cancerous death sentence. He was still the first one to respond to a fire call, the first one to take action as fire chief, the first one to take his brothers under his wing God forbid anything went wrong. He was the epitome of Heaven sent. God spent extra time on our George, and he proved that through his actions on a day to day basis. 

For almost five years, mesothelioma remained in his lungs, just waiting to make a sneak attack and quickly take him away from us. I cannot begin to explain to you the heart break it is to witness how horribly cancer can mentally and physically alter a human in just a couple short two months. To see someone so strong, so full of life, someone so admirable, deteriorate from something out of their control, is easily, without a doubt, undeniably the hardest thing a loved one can witness. Although our hearts ached on a daily basis, we were happy to remind Pepe each and every day how loved he was. Not once was he ever alone. 

Since 2009, Miles for Meso has brought together mesothelioma survivors, individuals recently diagnosed and family members of mesothelioma victims for a run and walk to raise awareness and research funding.  In the years since, races have taken place across the country in Missouri, Florida, Indiana, Virginia, New York, and Washington. Cumulatively, Miles for Meso events have raised over $250,000 in proceeds for the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding better treatments and a cure for this life-altering disease. This October 7th, 2019 will be the two year mark of my grandfather's passing, and as his family, we will be hosting The Chief 1 Run in honor of George Gorman, right in our home town of South Berwick, Maine on October 6th. We felt it was a beautiful way to keep his memory alive and to honor him in each and every way we can. 

We have finally found some peace in knowing he is not suffering anymore, but not a day goes by where we don't miss him. Fire fighter for over 50 years and fire chief for 47... you truly cannot compete with that. Above all, however, he was an amazing husband, father, and grandfather who is loved unconditionally. With that being said, come join the thin red line family on October 6th to honor a legend.