Cindy Gorham, center rear, is hoping she can soon return to work after bouncing back from a stroke. Gorham’s mother, Jo Ann Groder of Buxton, is in the foreground. Gorham is flanked by her sisters, Cathy Jo Brackett of Hollis, at left, and Debra Thombs of Buxton. Robert Lowell / American Journal

Firefighter/paramedic honored after stoke

A dinner honoring Buxton native Cynthia Gorham, who is recuperating after suffering a stroke Aug. 2, was held Sept. 17 at Buxton United Methodist Church.

Gorham said she’ll undergo tests next month at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston to see when she can return to duty as a firefighter/paramedic with the Scarborough Fire Department.

“I am very determined,” said Gorham, who now lives in Standish.

Gorham suffered the first of three strokes in 2015, and has since been diagnosed with fibromuscular dysplasia which, according to mayoclinic.org, is a “condition that causes narrowing (stenosis) and enlargement (aneurysm) of the medium-sized arteries.”

Gorham has been a firefighter for 34 years, including almost 19 years in Scarborough. She was honored in 2020 as a Hero with Heart by Trauma Intervention Program for staying on the scene with a family who had a loved one facing death.