Courage

After receiving the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December of 2006, I had no idea what the future held for me or if I even had a future. I suffered with chronic pain, chronic fatigue, burning, numbness, weakness; I had difficulty breathing and hugged the banister trying to make it up the stairs from the first floor of our Cape house to the second floor. I was depressed and anxious - who wouldn't be with their body withering away. I was told to adapt my house or move to a ranch. I was urged to quit my full time award winning career as a VA social worker and to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair. I was using a wheelchair at times for mobility and had a cane and toe up leg brace to support my mobility when I wasn't using a wheelchair. My life as I had known it came to a screeching halt. Every day I lived in a state of fear and uncertainty.

In February of 2007 I got still and asked for Divine guidance. This poem poured out of me:
Running the Race
Early summer 1959 my kindergarten year
Everyone around me filled with nervous fear
Despite the Salk vaccine hope polio would disappear
The polio virus crept right up and knocked me in the rear.
Dancing all around the gym feeling free just like a bird
I dropped to the ground just like a stone
and no one said a word.
The pain it was so searing-the diagnosis even worse
"It's polio" the doctor said...he was abrupt and terse.
Called one of the 'lucky ones' I had a 'mild case'
But with the other athletes I could never keep their pace.
Miss Holly physical therapist,
curly hair and a warm, broad smile
It tempered the pain of being apart - to walk I'd take awhile.

I always wore those 'special' shoes
the kids they poked and teased
With no support and much abuse
with childhood I wasn't pleased.
But put nose to the grindstone and learned all that I could
I couldn't kick a ball but my grades were always good.
Years went by and no more thought to polio did I give
I accepted the limp and everything else
and decided my life I would live.
But symptoms of weakness and muscle pain did grow
I kept a stoic face hoping no one else would know.

Life no longer was my own I struggled through each day
Suffered in silence, isolated from friends-
trying to keep depression at bay.
And with the grace of glorious God my world it opened wide
I discovered there was a Post Polio team
and they were on my side.

Using wheelchair to travel, set limits on what I could do,
Resulted in joy to realize I could live life anew.
Celebrated my body- creaks, groans and need for a brace
While in my mind I focused on winning a 10K race.
Sought out paths for healing and my spirit flew free
For the first time in life, I could truly be me.
The chains are gone and possibilities abound
I'm a tree with my roots planted firmly in ground.
I'm now off the sidelines, no need to sit and whine
So much gratitude fills my heart and love and beauty shine.
After all these years I can join the loving human race
I exceed all expectations and now I set the pace.

But why was I writing a poem about running a race?!?

Fast forward to February of 2008. After being discharged from Spaulding Rehab, quitting my job and working with a personal trainer for 6 months, I declared that I wanted to run the 2009 Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab where I took those first very tentative steps on my journey back to life. My personal trainer's response to my declaration was, "Well I suppose you are going to need a pair of running shoes then."

I traded in my toe up leg brace:


for my first pair of running shoes:


The first day we went outside to train my body how to run, my heart rate soared to over 170 with a simple jog for 30 seconds and walking for 4 minutes. I had no idea what was going to happen on my road to the Boston Marathon. I knew nothing about the sport of running except for being a spectator along the Boston Marathon route. I took a leap of faith answering a call that was stirring in my soul to get moving despite the admonitions from the medical community.

There were tough days and there were tougher days but keeping my heart and soul filled with courage, I held fast to my dream and goal to cross the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon:


I fueled my journey with my imagination feverishly writing poetry that inspired me mind, body and soul as we added the miles. My poetry had an arc and a beauty eloquently capturing the trials, tribulations and journey of discovery on the road to Boston.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of when I ran the Boston Marathon.

The odds were stacked against me as a survivor of paralytic polio and severe childhood trauma that took a toll on me mind, body and soul. As I had when I was a child, and then again as a young woman and then again as a woman in her mid-50's, armed with courage and steely determination, I defied the odds.


To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours
Mary

My healing journey using the power of visualization is featured in David R. Hamilton's book, "How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body-Anniversary Edition." It's available on Amazon.


Be sure to visit my website by following this link.

My books are available on Amazon.

Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life


Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing Hope and Possibility that chronicles the first 7 years of my healing journey:


Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):


***Coming Soon - The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953***

“The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953” takes you on Mary McManus’ healing odyssey from a wheelchair to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond. After the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December 2006, Mary got still and asked for Divine Guidance tapping into the powerful connection she experienced to the Divine from an early age. She harnessed the power of her mind to heal her body, feverishly writing poetry in which she imagined herself healthy, whole and free from the shackles of her youth. Mary’s quest to heal her life led her to the sport of running. Her story is one that will leave you cheering for the underdog, discovering the meaning of different ability and experiencing the stunning view from the back of the pack of a race. You will have the privilege of bearing witness to how Mary overcame every challenge that life presented to her. The sport of running provides the backdrop for her journey of transformation from a survivor of childhood paralytic polio and severe trauma at the hands of family members to a woman who embodies faith, grace under fire, courage, determination, endurance and resilience. Running became a way of life for Mary that tested her mettle while forging friendships to last a lifetime. As you’ll discover in “The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953” nothing, not even a serious knee injury in December of 2014 could stop her on the roads or in her life.