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NYC Man Runs Boston Marathon for Priest Who Got Transplant for Alpha-1 Liver Disease
AMESBURY, MA—Robert Morier sat across from the man for whom he is running the Boston Marathon during a recent lunch at Grand Central Station in New York City. The man on the other side was the Rev. Jack Gentleman of Holy Family Parish in Amesbury.
“I felt a little added pressure because he is a priest,” Morier said with a chuckle.
There may be the pressure of the divine for Morier come a week from Monday in the 112th Hub rite of passage for running. There will certainly be inspiration.
The 30-year-old financial investment manager out of New York City is running to raise money for research into liver disease for the American Liver Foundation (AFL) in its Run for Research program. The AFL matches a person who has been affected by liver disease with a runner – and for Morier, that person is Father Gentleman. They help each other raise funds and awareness about liver disease.
Gentleman, who has served Holy Family since 2000, was diagnosed with Alpha 1 Anti-trypsin Disease, a rare genetic disease that can affect liver or lung function. It affected his liver, and he had a liver transplant in April 2006.
