A tribute to Tammy
Tammy Forgue lost her hard-fought battle with cancer 2 years ago, but her spirit lives on in first memorial 5K
BURRILLVILLE — When Tammy Galleshaw Forgue walked in a room, her smile came before she did and it would have the attention of everyone in the space, according to her friend of 25 years, Smithfield resident Dawn Cruz.
When people reminisced about Forgue on Saturday morning, they were filled with emotions ranging from sorrow that she couldn’t be there to see the impact she’d left on so many lives to the happiness of knowing she was so loved by so many.
A crowd of about 400 runners and walkers stepped off from Wright’s Farm and took to the streets of Harrisville as part of the inaugural Tammy Forgue Walk/Run Festival benefiting Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Providence. The race was the brainchild of Tammy’s brother, Frank Galleshaw III, and his wife Susan as a way to remember the former Wright’s owner, who lost her fight with breast cancer in 2016.
All proceeds from Saturday’s event went to Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Providence and will be used to raise awareness and help save lives in the battle against breast cancer.
Tammy’s mother, Joyce Galleshaw, said “everybody seems to be touched by the disease. People want to be active in stamping out this terrible disease.”
“She fought as hard as she could … It’s very emotional, I feel it’s a tribute to my daughter, that her outgoing
personality enabled people to say they’re honoring her. I’m so proud,” Galleshaw said.
But while she was ecstatic to see the positive impact her daughter left, Galleshaw also still struggles with losing Tammy, as tears welled in her eyes on multiple occasions Saturday morning.
“This is a parent’s nightmare,” she said as she held t back tears. “No parent should bury their child.”
“It’s emotional as well as comforting … Her personality affected a lot of people in her life,” her mother added. “I feel they’re honoring her by showing up for the race d in the first time it’s named
after her.” d Joyce and Frank Gal- leshaw purchased the Wright’s Farm Restaurant in 1972 and grew it into the Rhode Island landmark it is today, as a gathering spot for families to enjoy family-style chicken dinners with seating for up to 1,200 in dining rooms and banquet facilities.
Tammy’s oldest son, 29-year-old Jeff Forgue of North Providence, said three words came to mind as he looked over the crowd of about 400 runners and walkers ready to participate in a race in his mother’s honor.
“It’s amazing, incredible, overwhelming,” Forgue said. “It truly shows there’s a lot of support in the community, volunteers who support the cause and honor mom. I’m very grateful.”
“As I look out at the crowd, I see a lot of love, support, and generosity, and that’s what she encom- passed, that’s who she was as a person,” he added. “The traits she possessed are here within the crowd.”
When asked what his mother would be doing on Saturday if she were still with us, Forgue smiled and said: “She’d be raring to go, she’d be getting ready to run.”
“She’d be so humbled to see the turnout,” he continued.
Forgue said that while Saturday’s race was the inaugural contest in his mother’s honor, he was hopeful that it would become a yearly tradition.
“It’s surpassed expectations,” he said.
Cruz, Tammy’s friend of 25 years, said she was “amazed” by the participation on hand Saturday morning.
“If you knew her, her personality was infectious. Her smile would have the room focused on her. When she walked into a room, her smile came before her,” Cruz said as she remembered her friend.
And how would Tammy have reacted to seeing such a large crowd gathering in her honor?
“She’d be humble and ecstatic at the same time,” Cruz said.