May 2009: DOWNEAST ENERGY EMPLOYEES PROVIDE GIFTS OF LIFE
Brunswick, ME May 8, 2009- Karla Gordon started to get very sick in February. Doctors told her that her liver was not functioning properly and she would need a transplant. More than 20 years ago Karla Gordon was working as a nurse when she was stuck by a needle and contracted hepatitis C. Now, after caring for so many people first as a nurse and then as a teacher, Karla needed someone to take care of her, in a big way. Karla was put on a donor list with a long wait, but there was another option--a live donor. The live donor process is challenging; not only does the donor need to be a match, but he also must be in perfect health, and his blood vessels in his liver must align with the those of the recipient. Over the next year, five family members stepped forward but after rigorous testing, not one was a satisfactory match for Karla. Karla and her husband Barry were exhausted from the stress and were not sure what options might be left. Barry is a delivery manager for Downeast Energy and Building Supply, based in Brunswick. When his co-worker Bob Beardsley heard about the situation, he simply told Barry, “I’ll do it.” Bob went through all the tests and found he was a match for Karla. “I have been asked 100 times why I did this and I still haven’t figured out the best answer,” said Bob Beardsley Manager of Propane Operations at Downeast Energy. “When I saw what my friend Barry had gone through when several of his family members found out they couldn’t be donors, I thought I was in good shape and just wanted to do it to help them out. One thing is for sure, without the company’s backing, I would not have been able to make this happen.” Bob and Karla underwent the surgeries in February, 2009. Bob is back at work and working short days while he continues to recover. Karla is at home and doing very well. “Bob has given me the gift of life,” said Karla. “This is a very scary and intense process and to have someone that I don’t know just step up and have the courage to help out is just amazing--he’s like my angel. Everyone at Downeast has been wonderful! I have 75 cards, and some of the employees brought us meals and coupons for various items. We really are so thankful and blessed that we have their support.” Karla added, “My co-worker at Bath Regional Vocational Center and personal friend, Katy Powers went above and beyond. She called every day and stopped by frequently helping me both emotionally and with my job. I think she would have done this for anyone because she is that type of person. She really was an amazing support system.” “It’s just amazing what Bob did for us,” said Barry Gordon. “We were pretty overwhelmed, and Karla could not understand why someone who didn’t know her really well, would be willing to perform such an unbelievably kind act. There is nothing we can do to thank Bob or the employees that would equal their unbelievable acts of kindness.” This is a familiar story in the Downeast family. Downeast Energy employee, Patty Kitchen donated one of her kidneys to co-worker Susan Bisson. Another Downeast employee, Charles Wilson, selflessly stepped in to donate a kidney to Susan’s brother Russell when he was in need of a transplant. “When you have such dedicated workers that help make this business successful, you have to give back and help when your employees are in need,” said John Peters, president of Downeast Energy & Building Supply. “The Morrell family, who started the business more than 100 years ago and still help run the company, believed in taking care of their employees and building a strong family environment and it’s something we have continued to nurture and grow within the business.” About Downeast Energy & Building Supply Downeast Energy and Building Supply operates 13 offices in southern and central Maine and Dover, NH, and a building supply store and lumber yard in Brunswick, Maine. For more information, please visit www.downeastenergy.com.