Geoffrey B., 76, of Red Hill, PA, is a courageous veteran, father, and volunteer. His Wish of a Lifetime was to go back to his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA, where he hadn’t been since he was 7 years old.
Geoffrey was born in Pittsburgh in 1939. His father, who was an engineer for the city of Pittsburgh and helped build some of its major bridges, passed away when Geoffrey was 5 years old. Geoffrey was put into an orphanage, and two years later, he was put on a train and sent to another orphanage in Philadelphia. Geoffrey has always considered Pittsburgh home, and had wanted to go back his entire life to visit. With a family of 5, he was never able to afford the trip.
When Geoffrey was 18 years old, he joined the Marine Corps, and he served in Cuba and Panama, among other places. His youngest son was born with 2% liver function, which Geoffrey says was the most difficult obstacle he’s had to overcome in his life. “It affected everything from then on,” said Geoffrey. His son has had four kidney transplants. Geoffrey has faced very significant health obstacles himself, including numerous heart attacks, strokes, and bladder cancer.
Thanks to Wish of a Lifetime, Geoffrey’s Wish became a reality on June 13th, 2015. Geoffrey and his wife Verna visited his mother and father’s graves, the Carnegie Museum, and the Forbes Field memorial. They also had the opportunity to do a photo shoot on the Roberto Clemente Bridge, which his father helped engineer. “It went so far beyond what we ever could have imagined. It was truly a Wish of a Lifetime,” said Geoffrey.
