By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

Dr. Peter Leighton’s wife Kimberly grew to understand the importance of him going to recovery-group meetings and also going the extra mile for his patients in recovery.  

She knew that it took time away from family life. At the same time attending those meetings was like taking medicine for him, she said. 

Also, it was Peter’s dedication to the people he helped in recovery that created a second family that Kim could lean on after his death. 

“It seems bittersweet to be standing on this stage when just a very short time ago, Peter was sitting on this stage with me,” Kimberly said. 

“I will try my best to get through what I have to say. I haven’t spoken yet. I haven’t been able to speak. I am very, very sad — as we all are,” she said. “I know that I am safe among this group. I know that you are all family to Peter. And, you are all family to me and my children.”

As Peter had shared his skills as a physician, Kimberly shared her heart with the group of people who showed up to a remembrance event on Saturday. 

“My best friend Peter was the eternal optimist. I really miss that about him. He would see the silver lining in everything. He thrived at solving problems and relished at figuring things out. I think that was why he was such a good doctor,” she said.  

Peter Leighton passed away from brain cancer on June 29. He was first diagnosed with having a brain tumor in 2003. A tumor came back in July 2020. 

Career-wise, Leighton was employed at Central Maine Medical Center from 2007 to 2013. He returned to this area in 2013, and worked as a primary care provider. He was one of the co-founders of the non-profit Lakes Region Substance Awareness Coalition, and served as the president. That non-profit allowed Lakes Region Recovery Center (LRRC) to be formed. 

On Saturday, more than 150 people participated in the first annual Remembrance Recovery Walk to celebrate Peter’s life and his life passion. Those numbers were boosted because one of Peter’s daughters, Reiyn Hart was joined by the Lake Region High School field hockey team. The walk took place in September since that is National Recovery Month. The event included making posters and signs, walking a loop from High Street to Main Street and through Pondicherry Park. Then, the group reconvenedin front of Crooked River Counseling Center to enjoy live music, to eat lunch, and to listen to guest speakers. 

“My husband Dr. Peter Leighton was more than life. He somehow was able to be a thoughtful husband, a nurturing father and a caring physician every single day that we were together,” Kim said. 

“I know the exact moment when I feel in love with Peter,” she recalled. 

For one of their first dates, Peter invited Kimberley to go along to a recovery retreat at Sugarloaf Ski Resort, where he was a speaker on a panel. 

“He was sharing a story about when he finally hit rock bottom and realized that he needed help and he couldn’t do it by himself,” she said. “At that very moment, watching him speak, I fell deeply in love with him. I saw how courageous he was to share such a private and intimate moment with a roomful of strangers and me.”

Shedescribedthe pros and cons of having to share him with recovery meetings and the time his profession demanded of him. 

“In the early days of our relationship, it was difficultto have him attending two meetings a week at night. At the beginning, I resented him leaving me to do dinner and bath and that time alone,” she said.  

But, he returned home attentive and cheerfully took over with evening chores, she said, adding, “I quickly learned that Peter needed theses meeting and they were just as important as medicine.”

The family got involved in Peter’s activities.

“I joked that I joined the Lakes Region Substance Awareness Coalition as the secretary so that I could spend more time with him,” she said.

She spoke highly of his approach to recovery.

“He believed that the patient could take control of their own life,” she said. “He was humbled when a parent or loved one would come into the office and thank him for saving their special person’s life. And, he would come home and tell us about it during dinner.” 

Other times, he might not be on time for dinner because a patient required more time.

“It was part of our family’s sacrifice in order for Peter to sharing his gifts with the world,” she said. 

Before his death, he expressed his concern about his patients. She said at hospice, it was the people who knew him through recovery who were the most frequent visitors.

During the rally, two of Peter’s patients agreed to be interviewed if they remained anonymous. 

One woman said she didn’t feel judged, and that was important during her road to recovery. 

“Dr. Leighton was nonjudgmental. That would be a key word. He really made me feel comfortable. I didn’t feel like I was getting drilled or questioned. I felt like I could be honest with him. He always made me feel good about what I did. He didn’t make me feel bad about what I didn’t do,” she said. “He was educated about substance abuse and he understood it better than a lot of people.” 

Travis was another patient of Peter’s. 

“I would describe him as compassionate, human. I didn’t feel like I was talking to a doctor. He was someone who had been there and could relate to my story. He was inspirational. He was easy to talk to and easy to open up to,” Travis said.  

“He was responsible for me. He gave me my family back, and my life back. I was in denial. I was able to open up because he treated me with respect. He treated me like a human being and not just as a statistic,” he said. 

“If there were more people like him in the world, you would have a lot more happy endings like mine,” he said.