By Max Sullivan
The Portsmouth Herald
HAMPTON, N.H. — “Team Jameson” united once again this week, this time by helping late firefighter Kyle Jameson’s wife by replacing her home deck.
Firefighters from Hampton, North Hampton and Derry gathered Monday at Christine Jameson’s Reddington Landing home to tear apart the deck and install a new one. It was one of several tasks the fire brothers have tackled on Kyle’s “10 year to-do list” since his passing last month.
Kyle died May 15 at 34 years old after a year-long battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, during which he received strong support from the community. In addition to Christine, he left behind their son Liam, who turns 1 years old this month.
Since he died, firefighters have taken care of Christine’s landscaping, fixed her fence, baby-proofed the inside of their house and continued to provide emotional support. His supporters have referred to themselves as “Team Jameson,” often wearing T-shirts with that label in the font of the Jameson Irish Whiskey logo. There are currently 2,344 members on the Facebook group “Team Jameson Fights T-PLL,” where Christine still posts messages and updates, her friends posting to show their support.
Firefighter Jed Carpentier expects members of other departments to filter in throughout the week to lend a hand with the deck once the word gets out.
For Carpentier and the other firefighters, helping Christine is something they know Kyle would appreciate.
“He’s a brother,” Carpentier said. “Any one of us would do it, and I know he would do it for me.”
“The firefighter family comes together and helps them out,” said Hampton firefighter Walter Madore said. “It’s what we do and each one of us knows if the shoe was on the other foot the same group of guys would be there to help our families. It’s as simple as that.”
Christine said she is “very grateful” for the help around the house.
“I tell everyone, I have no idea how I would survive without them,” Christine said. “It’s pretty amazing how much work they’re getting done.”
Donations have continued to pour in to help Christine and Liam since Kyle’s passing. A fundraiser will be held at Ron’s Landing June 21 starting at 4 p.m. Shelby Cormier, the wife of late North Hampton officer Peter Cormier, who died last October, recently started a donation drive for people to drop items off at the Hampton fire station, as well as a page on signupgenius.com where supporters can sign up on a schedule to bring a meal for the Jamesons.
Madore said the support system is so strong partly due to the length of time Kyle fought his cancer. He and Kyle’s other fire brothers are confident his cancer was caused by their work environment.
Over that time, support grew across the country, and Madore said many saw his fight with cancer as something to which even those who were not part of the fire service could relate.
“A lot of line-of-duty deaths are instant. Someone goes to work today and doesn’t come home tomorrow,” Madore said,” Madore said. “There was a large support group that built up over the whole county basically to offer support and to show people that we’re also fighting the same disease as Kyle, and to the spouse, from Chris’ standpoint, that they weren’t alone. There’s a lot of people out there that will be there to help you out.”
As the firefighters worked Monday, they said they plan to be there for Christine and Liam for many years. They hope to be there with Liam to let him know the loving, kind person his father Kyle was.
“It’s never going to stop,” said Hampton firefighter Buck Frost. “We’re all going to be there while Liam grows up, and he’s going to know exactly who his father was.”
“If you show up here in 14 years, one or two of us will be here teaching him how to go fishing and teaching him how to shoot a bow and take him hunting,” said Madore. “It’s not just motto, ‘Never forget.’ We don’t forget.”
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(c)2016 Portsmouth Herald, N.H.