Photo brings Weymouth family heat and help

By Maureen Walsh Correspondent She became known as The Little Girl on Belmont Hill, a sad child holding a handmade sign at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for a Cure walk in Boston last July. My Mom died from breast cancer, read the words above a family photo. Keep walking for a cure. Zoie Burgess of Weymouth, then age 9, couldnt have known how her fragile courage would inspire many more than the 1,700-plus walkers in the 60-mile event and bring much-needed help at Christmas to her own grieving family. One of those touched was Jim Hillmann of California. His mother had died of breast cancer, and for his 55th birthday, he had set a goal of walking in all 14 Susan G. Komen 3-Day events in 2011. He stopped to take Zoies picture and to give her a silent hug. Another one inspired was Paul Young, a Braintree native walking in his first 3-Day in memory of his sister, Marie Titus, who died two years ago at age 51. That night everyone was talking about her (Zoie) at the camp, saying Did you see the girl with the sign who was so sad? said Young. Jim said, Somebodys got to know who she is. Weve got to find out her story. But nobody knew. This little girl became Jims motivation. Hillmann posted Zoies photo on the 3-Day Facebook page, where it drew hundreds of comments but no answers to her identity, Young said. He began wearing the photo on his backpack during other 3-Day events, attracting attention and questions from other walkers. In San Francisco, he was on a transport ferry when he heard these women starting to cry behind him, said Young. He was used to that, because its a heart-wrenching picture, so he started to talk to them about it. Then one said, I take care of her! Her name is Zoie.

Three Sisters
Kristina Libby of Abington, a two-time breast cancer survivor, was walking in the San Francisco 3-Day in September with other members of her team, No More Good-byes. Every year we choose a different city, but no matter what, we always have a cheering station in Boston, said Libby. In 2011, I brought Zoie to cheer. We discussed before how, at the top of the hill, she could write something from the heart to really get them through. It was very emotional for her, but she saw what she was doing for her walkers. Libby said she and Hillmann walked together for miles while she told him about Zoie and her sisters Erin, 13, and Christine, 25. Their mother, Lori Burgess of Weymouth, had died early in 2010 at age 41, and her daughters were left in the care of their uncle, Frank Arena, a bachelor living on disability. Libby said she became aware of their situation through a trainer at the Boston Sports Club in Weymouth, where Christine works, often walking from Weymouth Landing at 4 a.m. to open the club in the morning. You meet them once and youre hooked for life, said Libby. You cant walk away. But with two small children and her own health to consider, there was a limit to what she could do alone. Jim said, We have to do something for her. How can we help this family? Among those Hillmann contacted about the Burgess family was Paul Young, his new friend from the Boston 3Day, who works for TGA Cross Insurance in Wakefield. We got the family adopted by my office for Christmas, Young said. Jim sent a list of things they needed that also concerned their house, which needed repairs.

Young visited the Burgess home on the Sunday before Christmas to make a punch list of repair projects. I kept seeing space heaters, and when I asked why, they said, The furnace doesnt work. I knew that was very dangerous and not the way to heat the house, he said.

Contractors Rally
The next day, Young got in touch with Chris Hawthorne, the TGA Cross broker who works with the firms plumbing and heating contractor clients and the Plumbing, Heating and Cooling Contractors (PHCC) of Massachusetts. Hawthorne reached out to Tom Theroux, president of the PHCC, who sent out an e-mail to members of the association. A very large number of people responded, Hawthorne said. This organization, the PHCC, does stuff like this all the time. They are very generous. Theyre the type of people who give you hope. Among those responding was Andy Lyne Jr. of A. J. Lyne Ltd., the plumbing and gas inspector for the town of Braintree and incoming vice president of the PHCC. When I got off work, I decided to go take a look, he said. The existing furnace sounded like an outboard motor and had a nasty smell. I knew why theyd shut it off. I told Frank, Its dead. Lyne knew the Burgesses might be able to get a discounted or free furnace through existing programs. But he also knew the application process could take weeks. These people needed heat, he said. I e-mailed a couple of people and by the following morning quite a few people were willing to donate equipment and manpower and what have you. His counterpart, Gerry Graham, the electrical inspector for the town of Braintree, volunteered to do the wiring, he said. Within 48 hours, said Young, all these people came together and said, Okay, were giving the girls heat for Christmas. It kind of gives you hope, with all the stuff thats going on, for people to say, Let me help these kids. On Friday, December 23, despite a seasonal spike in service calls and their own family demands for the holidays, a crew of volunteer PHCC contractors from as far away as Norton and Attleboro arrived at the Burgess home. Under the leadership of Owen Geoghan of Sentry Services, Brian MacDonald of Brian MacDonald Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning, and Lyne, they delivered and installed a new gas-fired hot air furnace donated by the F. W. Webb Company. They also presented the Burgess family with Christmas gifts, including some donated through the holiday giving program at the Marge Crispin Center in Braintree.

A Mothers Presence
They were generous, helpful and caring, said Zoie, who helped to fetch and hold tools for the contractors as they worked. We wanted it to be a kind of happy Christmas. But it was a tough time with no heat. It was cold. It was awesome to have so much for gifts. Zoie, a dedicated sports fan, said her mother used to play soccer, football and even hockey with her. They also enjoyed games together like Connect 4 and Bruins Yahtzee and Zumba dancing with the Wii video game. The three sisters and their uncle still have game nights and movie nights, she said. Christine kind of likes playing games with us. And she tries to bake like Mom. Erin likes to paint murals, and she likes to put on makeup and model clothes. Her uncle also enjoys playing board and computer games, Zoie said, and watching Patriots games with her. The transformation in that little girl is one of the things thats so heart-warming, said Hawthorne of TGA Cross. The oldest sister said when they all arrived and did all that for them, she felt her mothers presence because of the kindness. The house was spiritually cold with the loss of the mother. Kindness warmed up the home spiritually as well as physically, he said. The girls knew they were not alone. That was as important as the heat. Their mother had a really big heart, said Christine Burgess. She did a lot of volunteer work with children. She helped out whenever she could. Its hard, but we do really good, because we have each other, the girls and our uncle, she said. Were not in a bad place. Burgess also praised the Weymouth schools for supporting Erin, grade 8, and Zoie, grade 4. Murphy and Chapman have been awesome, she said. They couldnt have done more for Erin and Zoie to get them where they are now.

Long Term Support

Young said he is working with Hillmann and Libby and those involved in the furnace project to provide long term support for the Burgess family, including routine home maintenance, helping them apply for fuel assistance, and providing a financial cushion. The things on Jims list were blankets and pillows, towels and wash cloths, really basic things, he said. When I need a crew for painting in a few weeks, I bet Ill have five to ten people. Several weeks later, you can still see the affect this has had on the guys, said Hawthorne. We all got more out of it than the girls did. Hawthorne and Hugh Kelleher of the Greater Boston chapter of PHCC have set up a charitable fund for the family administered by Kristina Libby. Donations can be made online at https://www.wepay.com/donations/Loris_Memorial_Love_Fund or at Eastern Bank; 51 Commercial St, #2; Braintree, MA 02184; or any bank branch. For more information on the PHCC and its community programs, including assistance for families of active duty National Guard troops, visit http://phccma.org. For Hillmanns account of his encounter with The Little Girl on Belmont Hill, view the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsod8HricUw. ###