Jeremy Palmer has plenty of excuses to stay away from a 5K. The board member, actor and marketing contributor for the PHAMALY theater company underwent open-heart surgery in 2010, and has spent the past two years recovering and adjusting to the demands of his valve replacement. That didn’t stop Palmer, who is married to fellow PHAMALY troupe member Lyndsay Giraldi-Palmer, from taking part in the 5K portion of Kaiser Permanente’s Colfax Marathon last year, just as it didn’t stop him from signing up for the event again this week. We caught up with Palmer to talk about his history with the PHAMALY company, his motivation behind taking part in the run and his experiences on the Aurora Fox stage.
How did you first connect with the PHAMALY troupe?
I was doing children’s theater when I was 12, 13 and 14, Denver Center stuff, things around town. It was David and Julie Payne who told me about PHAMALY because they knew that I had my heart and lung conditions. They happened to be doing “Mame,” and I began my tradition of competing with Daniel Traylor for roles that year (laughs).
Can you talk a little about your medical condition?
It’s multiple congenital heart defects that required various surgeries. There was valve repair when I was 5; valve replacement when I was 9. My left lung was removed when I was 9. I had two more open-heart surgeries in 2010, one of which gave me a new, mechanical aortic valve. It requires more medication, upkeep. The other surgery was kind of an emergency procedure. Somewhere in there, the procedure paralyzed the left half of my diaphragm. It took almost a year to figure out why I was not breathing as I had been before. It causes some additional complications as far as respiration goes.
With those recent medical challenges in mind, what made you want to take part in the Kaiser Permanente 5K run in Denver?
This is my second year. Last year was PHAMALY’s first year as a charity partner. I wanted to step it up … I wanted to do it for the company’s sake. One of the groomsmen at my wedding was an Iron Man triathlete. I work out regularly at my doctor’s request to keep general cardiac health, and my wife did that with me. I thought it was something active that I can do that we can do together. It’s another way to draw attention to the shows.
Was it more or less challenging than you anticipated?
I didn’t go into it looking for some big physical challenge. I prefer my challenges in other venues. I wasn’t saying I’m going to run this whole thing; my wife would just kill me if I even tried that. We’d walk for about 10 to 15 minutes, then we’d say, let’s run for a couple of minutes.
We were determined not to be the last people who finished, (but) it’s less about proving anything to myself and more about raising the money and the awareness.
I’ve raised double what I raised last year; so far, I’ve raised $605.
PHAMALY has consistently performed its winter shows at the Aurora Fox. What do you like about that stage, compared to some of the other venues you travel to through the year?
I think it’s pretty versatile. Having done “Barefoot in the Park” there, which is as traditional a comedy as you can imagine, that worked well for that space. It takes on a whole different feeling when you get a show like “Elephant Man.” It’s a space, particularly the main stage, that can really adapt to whatever is needed.
I imagine this may be tough to put into words, but what has the PHAMALY troupe meant for you personally since you joined?
It’s become … Ever since my wife and I moved back to Denver, going on four years, PHAMALY has completely lived up to its name for us. Those are our best friends. Those are the people we spend our birthdays with and holidays with, in addition to our actual family. When I talk about other challenges – being on the board of directors, the marketing committee – those have been a huge challenge. Being allowed to codirect a premiere production, that’s the types of challenge I prefer in lieu of endurance tests and triathlons.
For more information about PHAMALY and the upcoming run, log on to www.active.com/donate/phamaly2012/littleonelung
Reach reporter Adam Goldstein at agoldstein@aurorasentinel.com or 720-449-9707
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