A Company With Heart

January 11, 2010 Gabe, Kierie, and I were up at 2 am. in Kentfield CA. Travel Nurse Alan arrived and gathered Gabe under his care. Kierie and I pared our belongings down to the final requisite 25 lbs apiece. The ambulance arrived for Kierie, Gabe and Alan. A black limo arrived for me and all our baggage and medical supplies. In the rainy dark of early morning we were finally headed for Boston and three months at Spaulding Rehab.

Dave Murphy of Red Wing Shoe had made the trip possible. When Mike, owner of Winterport Boot Shop and long time Red Wing dealer, put out the call for help, Dave and head Red Wing pilot Chappy had answered. They made the company Lear Jet available to us at no charge and now Chappy and Jim, co-pilot for this trip, were awaiting us at the Oakland CA private transport airport.

Would Gabe actually fit in the jet? Chappy had researched and measured and rearranged seating but could we actually load our prime passenger? At 6’5” could our crew lift him up the steps and through a door that was narrower than Gabe’s shoulders? At the airport it was a dark and stormy three in the morning, one of the worst bay storms I had seen– no moon, limited lighting, a hard driving rain sheeting sideways. Gabe was bundled in blankets on a rapidly soaking stretcher and I held a humongous black limo umbrella over the group of Gabe, the EMTs, Chappy, Jim, Alan, and Kierie as they pushed toward the brightly lit jet door.

Success! Team members lifted a cocooned Gabe up the steps, tipped him a bit sideways to clear the door frame, pulled him over the Red Wing welcome mat, around the 90 degree bend and down the aisle and into the improvised recliner/bed. Alan took over, checking trach, blood pressure, oxygen level and warming Gabe up in dry blankets. The take off check list was heard from the cockpit as Chappy and Jim went into flight mode and Kierie and I nestled in for the long flight east.

Two weeks ago Red Wingers and Mainers gathered under much happier and drier circumstances. Gabe had graduated from a year at Brewer Rehab and was now back into real life with Kierie in Bangor. Dave Murphy and Peter, our regional Red Wing Sales Manager, were in Maine and wanted to meet Gabe and Kierie about whom they had heard so much. Gabe, Kierie, Mike and I met Dave and Peter for dinner at the beautiful inn overlooking Lake Lucerne.

Dave and Peter were obviously moved as Gabe controlled his power chair up to the table and Kierie helped him to his feet to step over to his restaurant chair. As the dinner and conversation moved toward a final coffee it was beautiful to hear Gabe say “Thank you”. And to me it was even more moving to see the looks of happiness and caring on Dave’s and Peter’s faces. Thank you Dave, Peter, Chappy and Jim and so many others in the Red Wing Shoe family for your continuing support and encouragement to our family and the important part you played in bringing Gabe home. Thank you Red Wing for making decisions from the heart.