A dear member of the Hen House Founding Family, Gerry "Gump" Brown, lost his battle to A.L.L. (a form of leukemia) in April of 2007, and our family and friends are making it our mission to keep his spirit alive.
Gerry worked as a farmer by trade, but was a master of all things. He is one of the few people we knew that could solve a Rubik's Cube, and he could fix anything! Besides an amazing and endearing work ethic, Gerry was very active in the Laurel Fire Department as a volunteer serving as a Firefighter, an Asst. Chief Engineer and an Ambulance Lt.
In 2006, during the time of his relapse, he was President of the Laurel Fire Department. One of his biggest accomplishments was the day he was released from his Doctor's care to fight fires and wear an air pack again. He carried the RX in his wallet showing that he was FREE. You could not stop him; he was bound and determined to win.
During Gerry's remission, a dear family member, Britney Atkins, was diagnosed with lymphoma. Britney suffered through the chemo treatments, and earned her strips as a cancer survivor. You will see on our TEAM GUMP homepage that Britney's brother, Cory, started TEAM GUMP, out of the pain in his heart. He has watched first had how cancer can effect a family, and also what the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society can do for each patient.
Gerry's main concern when he was originally diagnosed in 2002 was to help others in the future. During his remission, he was very vocal about the fact that he was given a second chance because someone else donated and gave their time for funding and research.
Through Team Gump, we are working to keep Gerry's strength and spirit with us so that we can give others the second chance, that Gerry experienced.
If you are interested in a T-Shirt, or more information on Team Gump, please stop in the store and see us!
