Triumph over Tragedy: Windham family copes with devastating adversity

By Ed Pierce

Faith can provide the foundation for resilience and hope and teach us lessons about life when the future seems impossible. That’s something that a Windham family discovered over the past year while undergoing a personal ordeal that tested their faith and strengthened their resolve.

Ethan March who grew up with his parents
Brian and Kathleen March in Windham,
became paralyzed from the waist down 
when he fell off a roof in a workplace
accident a year ago. He is learning to
cope with his injury and with the help
of his parents and others he is hoping
to become a pilot someday.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

Brian and Kathleen March of Windham were going about their lives last summer when their son, Ethan, 22 at the time, was working as an electrician and was installing solar panels off grid on a roof in Kingfield on July 30, 2024 when he suddenly fell 20 feet to the ground. He sustained multiple breaks in his T-11 vertebrae which smashed and put pressure on his spinal cord.

Trying to understand the seriousness of what had happened devastated the family. Ethan, who was less than a year into starting his career, was left paralyzed and struggling to cope while his parents did their best to lift his spirits and motivate him to go on.

“One of the hardest things for me is not being able to make things better for him,” said his mother, Kathleen March. “I can't heal his broken heart. I can't promise or even tell him he will get better because it's an unknown of time and faith. It's been hard to see our son who was just beginning his life in his chosen career, enjoying it and doing well to lose it all, including the possibility to be able to return to that job as he did it.”

Brian March said that the most challenging aspect of the situation for him as a father was watching his son suffer.

“Not just the struggles with getting in and out of the car and our house but thinking he may never walk again therefore not experiencing the feeling of sand under his feet or the snow under his skis or even just standing up to give me a hug,” he said.

And for Ethan, he says coming to terms with his injury and its implications was tough.

“The mental anguish of recognizing I'm going to be like this in this condition for the rest of my life is difficult,” he said.

As parishioners at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Windham, Brian and Kathleeen March prayed and placed their faith in God to help their son overcome the trauma and give them strength and hope.

Just before Thanksgiving, Ethan moved into an extended stay hotel in Portland in a handicapped suite with a tiny kitchenette.

“It’s far from ideal and there are still challenges with the layout of this suite for functioning with his wheelchair,” his mother said. “It’s difficult such as not being able to roll under the counters or the stove, not being able to reach most of the cabinet shelves, and in general just tight quarters for movement. The staff at the hotel have been great at trying to work with him to accommodate his individual needs. They treat Ethan and us like family and with kindness and generosity.”

In late December, American Legion Post Adjutant Dave Tanguay attended a coffee social after church with Kathleen March, and she updated him about Ethan.

“We were shocked to hear that Ethan had fallen earlier from a roof while installing solar panels and sustained severe back injuries requiring multiple surgeries and months of rehab,” Tanguay said. “Kathleen mentioned that Ethan was now in a handicapped-accessible hotel in Portland and was still undergoing therapy. The Windham Field-Allen Legion Post 148 had a small collection of support items for veterans including a motorized wheelchair.”

Tanguay said the equipment is normally held to support a veteran in need, but in this case, it was a local veteran family who needed support for their son.

“I asked if she might be interested in a particular chair that had the ability not only for mobility but allowed the user to stand and remain mobile,” he said. “I checked with Post Commander Tom Theriault to see if the chair was still available and the March family made plans to pick the chair up on Jan. 2. By the end of the day, Ethan had the chair and was actively checking out its capabilities with his physical therapist.”

Kathleen March said that the donation of the motorized wheelchair was provided at the perfect time.

“It was early into Ethan's time being back in Maine and being the winter season, the motorized chair helped Ethan to get through some snowy weather,” she said. “Portland is full of hills, so trying to manually wheel himself up those hills was exhausting and difficult. “The motorized chair meant he could meet up with friends at the coffee shop on his own without needing to transfer to a car and back again or need to be pushed by someone else. The motorized chair provided more independence in some ways. This chair also allowed for Ethan to rise to a somewhat standing position, which could help him reach some things up high a little easier in the hotel.”

Eventually, Ethan’s physical therapists advocated for a non-moving standing apparatus for exercise and strength development and the family returned the motorized wheelchair to the American Legion to provide the opportunity to another veteran family in need.

“It was an incredibly generous gift of kindness. We are very grateful to have had the opportunity to have had such a valuable gift to be able to have the freedom of independence that it provided at a prominent point in Ethan's recovery,” Kathleen March said. “As an active 22-year-old that had only recently left his daily rehab facility to be able to feel more independent was simply amazing. There is nothing that would come close to reciprocating the value of what this gift was at the time that we received it. We are very grateful to the American Legion, and ‘Thank You’ doesn't seem big enough.”

Now a year after his accident, there has been no change regarding Ethan’s physical situation, but his spirits are unusually amazing. His parents say he does pretty good navigating the challenges of everyday life and tries not to let things get him down, although there are certainly moments that come and go.

“Spinal cord injuries affect so many aspects of how our bodies can function,” his mother said. “Unless you experience life in a wheelchair yourself or care for a person who is handicapped in this way, most people never really understand the magnitude of the situation day to day and how many obstacles there are to navigate out in public and how many limitations are set before you.”

Both Brian and Kathleen are doing OK and in a better place today.

“Life is full of ups and downs. Brian and I are people of strong faith and trust in God,” Kathleen March said. “In this difficult situation, God has already shown us his grace through our brothers and sisters in Christ and their prayers. We have seen the face of Jesus in neighbors as well as strangers through their kindness. There are still many challenges to work through both for us and especially for Ethan and we know that we are in God's hands. If we allow him, by continuing to trust in our relationship with him, God will make a way for the road to be less bumpy leading us to a beautiful place.”

She said the hardest part as parents is having patience as they navigate the critical aspects of what Ethan still needs like his adapted vehicle and their home revamped to meet all their needs as their son continues to visit with his siblings for all occasions.

“There are still so many other devices and things to navigate in his life including re-education to find a new life career and exploring his previous interests from a new perspective,” Brian March said.

Ethan says he’s grateful for everything his parents have done to help him, and that he is determined to forge a new life for himself.

“My new career plan is to do everything I can to become a commercial pilot," he said. <

Extensive search leads to ‘miracle’ animal rescue in Raymond

By Ed Pierce

Rob Russell and Carmen Brothers aren’t superheroes, but it would be tough to convince Dawn Elwell of Raymond otherwise.

Rob Russell of 2A TAC Air Ops Drone Services, left, and 
K9 Finely and Carmen Brothers of Professional Pet Trackers,
helped to find Pearl, a 2-year-old dog who became lost
in Raymond earlier this month. COURTESY PHOTO

Elwell was desperate to find her lost dog Pearl, who had escaped from a groomer in Raymond and had disappeared on April 30. After four days of searching for Pearl and running out of hope, Elwell hired Russell’s 2A TAC Air Ops Drone Services of Barrington, New Hampshire to see if he could do something to help.

He is a former police officer and U.S. Army infantryman who was wounded in combat in Afghanistan. He now owns a drone equipped with thermal technology that can be used in searches for missing people and pets. Russell holds a FAA Part 107 Commercial Drone License, and he launched his business several years ago with a desire to assist people in searches and inspire them to not give up when all appears hopeless.

“I realized I was on to something nobody else was doing in New England,” he said. “Our fees are based on hours flown and distance driven.”

Russell contacted Brothers of Professional Pet Trackers of Virginia to assist in the search for Pearl, and she brought along her almost 2-year-old black lab named K9 Finley whom Brothers had trained and has been working on cases with her since December.

“While I was aware of Rob and his company 2A TAC Air Ops Drone Services, we did not meet or work together until March 2025 for a Yorkie named Leo that was lost in Greenville, Maine,” Brother said. “Throughout the search for Leo, we found that his drone abilities paired with my tracking dogs provided a larger, more complete picture to lost pet owners. What the drone may be unable to see or pick up, if an animal is under something or has left the area entirely, a tracking dog would be able to pick up on and pinpoint the location an animal may be hiding in. Or at the bare minimum, a tracking dog can give you a direction of travel which will allow a more thorough action plan to be put in place and may even help determine a new area for the drone to cover.”

She has been helping reunite lost pets for roughly 15 years.

“I volunteered for a rescue, City Dogs Rescue in Washington, D.C., and they lost a dog,” Brother said. “I was assisting in search efforts such as flyers, community outreach, and eventually brought in a K9 tracker to assist in locating Maddie. Once Maddie was located, I continued to serve as one of their two lost dog coordinators. In 2015 I began volunteering with a non-profit based in Baltimore, Maryland where I was able to learn more about utilizing K9 tracking dogs to locate lost pets. Roughly one year later I was approached by National Geographic Wild and offered a featured role in their upcoming docuseries, Trackers, however I would have to quit my fulltime job in Human Resources and commit to filming fulltime. I knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so accepted their offer, and never went back to Human Resources after that.”

The search for Pearl presented unique challenges to both 2A TAC Air Ops Drone Services and Professional Pet Trackers.

“When Pearl initially went missing there were many people out searching and calling for her which while that is people’s first instinct to do, it actually hinders the search,” Brothers said. “When dogs go missing, they go into what is known as flight mode, meaning that everything and everyone is predatory. Their animal instincts kick in and their goal is food, water, and staying away from perceived threats, which can unfortunately even apply to their owners. While at home they typically come running when called, in flight mode all they hear is a loud noise and that can scare them out of the area even further. The community wanted to help, which is amazing, but we had to redirect their efforts into a productive task, such as hanging flyers rather than driving around and actively searching for Pearl.”

Russell said that initial efforts to find Pearl revealed that she kept coming back to an area in Raymond with foot traffic.

“We needed the dog to settle down and get comfortable, but she kept running into people creating a higher state of anxiety for her,” he said.

“Reuniting Pearl with Dawn was truly a team effort,” Brothers said. “Dawn had done everything we recommended and then some. She had flyers posted in the community, she was working on actively maintaining feeding stations and following up on all sightings. Between her dedication, K9 Finley giving us the area that Pearl was hiding in, Rob giving us the eyes in the sky ensuring that we were not missing anything, and Jess Jackson with Lake Region Animal Control providing boots on the ground trapping support, we knew it was only a matter of time until Pearl was safe at home.”

Russell said during their extensive search they had to figure out where Pearl was bedding down and hiding.

Pearl was ultimately recovered roughly 18 hours after they finished the tracking activities, and the drone was landed.

“While Pearl was not physically recovered while on the actual track, she was recovered directly on K9 Finley’s track,” Brothers said.

Both Brothers and Russell say finding Pearl was a team effort and they thanked Jackson for her help, Maine Lost Dog Recovery and the community for their assistance.

“No one person is the hero here, we were all just cogs in the wheel,” Russell said. “The bottom line for me is if I’m part of the team involved in a rescue, it’s one of the best feelings in the world, and it’s amazing and it’s why we do this.”

Brothers said that every successful reunion with a lost pet is different, but each one brings a deep sense of purpose and gratitude for her.

“Seeing the moment of reunion – when a scared, tired pet is reunited back into the arms of their family – is something that never gets old,” she said. “It is like watching a miracle unfold right in front of you, you can literally feel the heartbreak turn into joy and it is amazing to know you were a part of that story.”

Elwell said she could not be more appreciative for Russell and Brothers and K9 Finley’s work in bringing Pearl back home.

“This was probably one of the most distraught and scared I have been in my whole life,” she said. “I was lucky to have Carmen as well as 2A TAC Air Ops Drone Services recommended to me. Carmen, Finely and Rob never faltered from compassion, reassurance and more so skill and knowledge.”

On Sunday, May 4, she received a phone call informing her that Pearl had been found in a trap using Elwell’s sweatshirt.

“That feeling was something I had dreamt about for the longest five days of my life,” she said. “I do not believe I could have done this without this team of experts.”

To see photos of the search for Pearl, visit 2A TAC Air Ops Drone Services on Facebook. <

Recovering resident shares story of hope for those experiencing substance use disorder

After many years of substance misuse,
Brittany Reichmann realized that sobriety is
a lifetime choice for her. She works to raise
awareness that a life in recovery is possible
and that by telling her story, she hopes to
decrease the stigma about substance use
disorder among people of all ages..
PHOTO BY SUSIE LEE PHOTOGRAPHY 

By Lorraine Glowczak

Brittany [Fearon] Reichmann of Windham grew up in a loving home and was raised by two adoring parents and had a fun-loving brother. She was an avid soccer player who was very involved in extracurricular activities as a youth. She graduated from Windham High School in 2007 with honors and an above 4.0-grade point average. She had a perfect life – until a prescribed medication led to illegal substance misuse that robbed her passion for living the life of her dreams.

“I really had a wonderful life before I was introduced to a variety of mind-altering substances,” Reichmann said. “I started drinking around the age of 14 – when I was a freshman. It was a casual thing to do with friends on the weekends. It was here that it all began.”

During her sophomore year, however, Reichmann had her wisdom teeth removed. To relieve the pain, she was prescribed a small dose of the prescription opioid, Vicodin. This substance changed the trajectory of her life.

“The second I began taking that prescription, I really loved the way it made me feel,” Reichmann admitted.

Soon, her prescription ran out, and she longed for the ‘fix’ that Vicodin provided. A close friend mentioned that there were opioids easily accessible in medicine cabinets of various family and friends. They found and began helping themselves to this “medicine cabinet” substance.

“As soon as he told me how accessible opioids were, we found some and took them that day,” Reichmann said. “For him, it was just for fun, and the use didn’t have detrimental effects. But for me, that fun became a habit.”

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), this habit was not a choice for Reichmann. NIDA maintains that substance use disorder is a genetic makeup that the individual cannot control. “As a result of scientific research, we know that addiction is a medical disorder that affects the brain and changes behavior.”

While Reichmann’s friend could easily experiment with opioids without harmfully changing his behavior, Reichmann’s brain reacted differently.

“We still do not fully understand why some people develop an addiction to drugs or how drugs change the brain to foster compulsive drug use,” NIDA website confirmed.

Reichmann continued providing a successful persona to her family and friends during the rest of her high school years. Every college she applied to, accepted her. Finally, she decided on the University of New Hampshire.

“When I was attending college, everyone was partying, drinking and taking drugs – while at the same time also doing what they were supposed to be doing - going to class and studying,” Reichmann said. “During my freshman year, I was already incapable of doing those things without the use of substances. If I did not have access to opioids, I didn’t go to class. If I couldn’t find that substance, I would rely on alcohol. It was not uncommon for me to show up on a Tuesday morning class, already drunk at 11 a.m. in order to take an exam.”

It wasn’t until her second semester of college that things worsened. Three weeks into the spring semester, she experienced a mental breakdown.

“I called my family and told them that I couldn’t do this anymore - that college was not the right place for me,” she said. “Everyone understood that I was undergoing a sort of depression and were there to support me, but the thing is, no one knew I had a substance use disorder.”

She returned home to live with her family and enrolled in a local college. Unfortunately, being around a supportive family did not change her substance misuse, and she began buying opioids from dealers and thus surrounding herself with new ‘friends’.

“Things continued to get worse and worse – eventually, my parents noticed my substance misuse,” Reichmann said. “They would give me stipulations. ‘Get a job’, ‘Go to school’, they pleaded.”

After ten years of trying, and failing, to become sober, she experienced an epiphany.

I remember sitting on the porch at my parents’ house and asking myself, ‘How did I get here?’, she said. “This reflection brought me to my knees – it was the turning point after years of failed sobriety. I realized that this is a lifetime thing for me. I can never drink or take any form of substance, ever. My body and mind are different than others and will not be able to respond to substances in a healthy way.”

But by this time, family and friends asked her to hold herself accountable. They had had enough of helping her after multiple ‘failures.”. So, Reichmann took a chance and requested help from her employer.

“I asked them to loan me money so I could finally become sober,” Reichmann said. “I promised to pay them back, and they agreed. I got help, went to a sober living facility, and rebuilt my life. I’ve repaid the loan my employer gave me, and now I’m living a healthy and happy life of sobriety.”

Reichmann is now five years sober. She is a homeowner, a wife, and a mother of a 1-year-old son. She works as the Program Manager for Maine Association of Recovery Residences, assisting others in the life of recovery.

“I’m currently living my greatest passion, helping others to live a life of active recovery while also decreasing the stigma surrounding substance misuse,” she said. “But perhaps more importantly, by sharing my personal story, I am raising awareness that a life of recovery is possible. I am living proof that change is doable despite it all – believe me. I’ve been through a lot. I promise – there is not a challenge that a person cannot come back from. There is hope. Never give up.”

Resources are available for those who are experiencing substance use disorder and desperately want to make a change.

They include the following:

* Lakes Region Recovery Center in Bridgton, 25 Hospital Drive, Suite E, 207-803-8707.

* Portland Recovery Center in Portland, 102 Bishop St., Portland, 207-553-2575.

* National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI-Maine) in Hallowell, 52 Water St., 800-464-5767.

* Brittany Reichmann, bmfearon89@gmail.com.

In an extreme mental health crisis, turn to the new crisis hotline to receive immediate expert care by dialing 988. <

BTI and Windham Area Clergy Association launch yearlong “Spreading Abundant Hope” Program

By Elizabeth Richards

When dealing with substance use and addiction issues, hope is something that can be in short supply.  This year, the Be the Influence (BTI) Coalition, in conjunction with the Windham Area Clergy Association (WACA), is working to change that. 

The “Spreading Abundant Hope” program kicked off last Sunday, with area religious institutions including a few minutes of information on prevention and hope for recovery in their services. BTI has given participating churches 12 talking points to use to spread the BTI message once a month all year long.

Laura Morris, Project Director for the BTI coalition, said that along with the talking points, BTI offers a resource information center for each church, which includes a range of materials on prevention and recovery resources. 

The initiative began last year, as the BTI coalition worked to better involve the religious sector in spreading the message of hope and prevention, Morris said. 

Reverend Tim Higgins of St. Ann’s Episcopal church is on the board of BTI, and chairs WACA.  Higgins said he invited Morris to a WACA meeting last year so they could talk about what they could do, as local churches, to be involved with BTI and do something that might make a difference. That’s where the idea for the Day of Abundant Hope was formed. 

“Each church found a way to use the pulpit to talk about a variety of services that each church could provide for substance abuse and addiction in the community,” Higgins said.  At St. Ann’s, a member shared her personal story and then Higgins talked about services available in the community, he said. 

Morris attended that service and was available afterwards to have conversations with members of the community.  She said she had at least two people approach her to tell her how much they appreciated the information, because they didn’t know where to go for help and didn’t necessarily want to talk about it with others. “That one day went over well and this year we wanted to do it more significantly,” Morris said. 

Higgins said that when they talked about it this fall, they discussed whether it was the most effective way to promote BTI in the community.  They decided that instead of a one-time event, they would create the year-long program where the message would be consistently shared throughout the year. 

“In the religious community, we believe that our bodies are temples of the spirit, and self-care is a really important piece of that. With that being the case, we fully promote folks taking care of self in this capacity because it aligns itself also with what we hear in scripture,” Higgins said.

The talking points incorporated into services, along with the resources available on an ongoing basis, will give community members important information about where they can turn for help.  “It’s not only getting the information out there but it’s making sure that they know there are local resources that are available to them,” Morris said. “The presence is right there in their church so as they’re walking out, they can grab it, but they always know it’s there.”

Morris said that the hope is that the program will spread beyond the five or six churches who participated last year and become region wide.  While that isn’t the case yet, she said, “If they’re doing it monthly it really doesn’t matter when they come on, as long as it’s kind of an ongoing presence.”

“We’re hoping to build on this event,” Morris said.  Future ideas include a 5K Run for Recovery, with proceeds going to help someone who is in recovery, as well as a healthy vendor fair to spread the word about resources in the community.

Although the current commitment is for a year, “The idea is that it will continue to sustain itself, and become an ongoing event,” Morris said. “If there’s a little bit of presence every month, in as many churches as possible, growing and growing, we could really affect a lot of people,” she said.