People from Lewiston, Lisbon, Norway and Hartford receive Real Hero awards from the American Red Cross.
By David A. Sargent
Special to the Sun Journal
AUBURN – Heroes come in all ages and from all kinds of backgrounds: a kindergarten teacher who saves a choking child, a high school student who braves flames to rescue his sister or a lifeguard whose skills save a heart attack victim.

Others give exceptional measures of dedication and commitment to important causes.

Six heroes from this part of Maine were honored Thursday by the United Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross. Tory Ryden, news anchor of WMTW-TV, introduced them to a breakfast audience at the Hilton Garden Inn.

“They have shown their courageous gracefulness” in a variety of ways, Ryden said.

Each was nominated by a member of the community, and each has played a key role in saving lives, she said. “These are really ordinary people that are sitting among you this morning.”

The keynote speaker for the chapter’s first Heroes Breakfast was Brig. Gen. John Libby, the new head of the Maine Army National Guard.

“We shouldn’t mix up heroes with role models and celebrities,” Libby told the large audience of community leaders.

He said athletes and entertainment stars often get adulation as heroes, but it’s difficult to understand what they have done for society.

“I think we need to separate clearly in our minds the difference between heroes, a word we use very loosely, and role models or celebrities,” Libby said.

Six awards given

The honorees are:

• Kim Finnerty: Adult Good Samaritan Award

When a 55-year-old Lisbon man was swimming in the YWCA pool in Lewiston on March 18, he began suffering a complication from a heart problem. Ironically, the man was exercising in the pool to help strengthen his heart.

Lifeguard Kim Finnerty knew the man had a heart problem.

As soon as she saw that he was in trouble, she jumped into the water and pulled the man out.

There was no pulse. While Finnerty began performing CPR, an assistant called for help.

At poolside, Finnerty was able to revive the man briefly. Then he stopped breathing again in spite of her efforts. Moments later, a police officer arrived with a defibrillator, equipment used to regulate heart rhythm. The man was revived again and his heart began beating regularly.

The man was hospitalized for several days. He said after his recovery, “I was lucky that Kim hauled me out of the pool. My cardiologist told me if it had happened at home, I would have passed away.”

Finnerty recalled her reunion with the man and his family after his recovery.

“It was just a wonderful feeling to know that I was prepared enough by the American Red Cross classes to rescue this gentleman and save his life,” Finnerty said.

She added, “I don’t consider myself to be a hero. I think that I was in the right place at the right time and I know that anyone in this position would do the same thing.”



• Maggie Burhite: Adult Good Samaritan Award

Kindergarten teacher Norine “Maggie” Burhite was getting her class of 5-year-olds settled down for snack time Sept. 4 at Guy E. Rowe School in Norway.

As Burhite moved around a table to assist one child, she saw the wide-eyed expression on a nearby boy.

“I asked if he was all right,” Burhite said. She didn’t get an answer.

“I asked him two more times quickly if he was all right,” she said. “As I asked the second time, he got up quickly and put his hands to his throat.

“I knew he was choking.”

The boy raced around the table in a panicked reaction. She caught him from behind and immediately put her arms around him in the Heimlich maneuver and pressed inward.

Seconds later, a piece of mango flew several feet across the room. Then he started to cry. “It was a good cry. It was wonderful to hear it,” Burhite said.

“I knew he would be OK. I told him he was brave and then sent him immediately to the nurse,” she said. “Later I talked to the class about the universal sign for choking.” Burhite had been trained in the Heimlich maneuver about 10 years ago when she’d been a paramedic.

“I have an overwhelming sense that I was meant to be in that place at that time,” Burhite said.



• John Kennedy: Youth Good Samaritan Award

When his 12-year-old sister was trapped by flames in the family’s trailer home in Lisbon, John Kennedy didn’t hesitate as he ripped away obstacles to get her out.

Kennedy was 15 years old and a freshman at Lisbon High School at the time. Two other siblings were outside. But their sister, Jolynn, was trapped in her bedroom.

The teen had to remove more than a dozen stockade-fence sections to get to his sister’s bedroom window in the smoke-filled trailer.

The young girl and her teenage siblings were not injured, but several pets, including two cats, two dogs and birds died in the fast-moving blaze that destroyed the 14- by 80-foot home on Littlefield Road on Aug. 19, 2003. The home and contents were a total loss and the Red Cross helped the occupants find shelter.

During the rescue, John received a gash on his head from a nail that required about 10 staples to close the wound.

When asked about being called a “hero,” John Kennedy simply smiled broadly in appreciation.



• Jerry Marstaller: Blood Donor Award

Jerry Marstaller is on his way to donating his 14th gallon of blood. The Hartford resident is headed for that milestone after nearly 30 years as an American Red Cross blood donor.

Marstaller recalled that his first blood donation was in 1974 at Southern Maine Vocational Technical Institute in South Portland, which is now Southern Maine Community College. Ever since 1980, he has donated regularly in blood drives held at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston where he is benefits manager in the human resources department.

“We’re always encouraged as employees to give, so I have been able to leave the desk, come down and give blood and go back to work,” he said. “It becomes kind of a competitive thing after a while.”



• Dorothy Guild: Outstanding Medical Provider Award

Dorothy Guild, a registered nurse at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center since 1975, was recognized for quick thinking and skilled use of a defibrillator in the hospital’s emergency room. Her actions saved a patient’s life.

“It was the best day of working I’ve had in my whole life,” she said.



• Joani Derocher-Gamache: Community Service Award

Joani Derocher-Gamache, switchboard operator and receptionist at Androscoggin Bank in Lewiston, has organized many blood drives and American Heart walks over the years.

“I’m very fortunate for my ability to help other people,” she said.

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