Twelve years ago, after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease, I quit my award winning career as a VA social worker and set out on a quest to heal my life.
I sailed away from safe harbor, to quote Mark Twain:
I knew I had to let the winds of my faith carry me after I began writing poetry in which I imagined a future for myself very different from my past and a future very different from what the doctors predicted for me.
I always loved to write and I was a Public Relations major at Boston University's College of Communication. When I wrote I literally felt no pain anywhere in my body and experienced joy and freedom.
A year and a half after my diagnosis, in February of 2008, I knew I was being called on a mission when the words, "And I want to run the 2009 Boston Marathon" bypassed any logical thinking and came from the depths of my soul.
I kept journals and chronicled my journey on the road to Boston through poetry and prose, starting a blog, Healing, Hope and Possibility, on October 22, 2008 with the help of PR interns from Boston University. I didn't know a thing about writing in the world of technology. At BU School of Public Communication as it was known back in the day, we used typewriters and rolls of paper towel along with an egg timer in my journalism class. The interns helped me to get the word out about my 2009 Boston Marathon run and the spark was lit for me to write my memoir.
"Wait, I have one more goal," Mary McManus told her personal trainer in February of 2008 shortly after coming out of her toe up leg brace. "I want to run the Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab Hospital." Mary traded in her polio shoes for running shoes and embarked on the journey of a lifetime. Mary McManus was at the height of her career as a VA social worker when she was told by her team at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital’s International Rehab Center for Polio in December of 2006 that she needed to quit her job if she had any hope of preventing the progression of post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease. In “Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility” Mary takes you on her seven year healing odyssey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma from her diagnosis, to taking a leap of faith to leave her award winning career at the VA to heal her life and follow her passion as a poet and writer. You’ll experience her trials, tribulations and triumphs as she trains for and crosses the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and discovers the opportunity for healing in the wake of new trauma: the suicide of her nephew in 2011, and the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. This is Mary's journey of coming home to her human form free from the influences of the ghastly ghostly invaders who had invaded her sacred earthly home. Her memoir includes journals and blog posts from her seven year healing odyssey. This is her journey of transformation and her message of healing, hope and possibility.
In 2015, I published "Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life":
In December of 2006, Mary McManus’ mind, body and soul were crying out for healing. She was diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease as Western medicine defines it. It was her wake up call to find a path for healing. In February of 2007, she discovered the healing power of writing poetry, foreshadowing her 2009 Boston Marathon run while using a cane, a leg brace and at times a wheelchair for mobility with the first poem she wrote, "Running the Race." She calls her pen her divining rod for healing that inspires healing mind, body and Spirit from childhood paralytic polio and sexual, physical and emotional abuse from the time she was 8 years old until her dad’s suicide when she was 17 years old. When we bypass our analytical minds and are able to see beyond appearances, magic and miracles happen. Mary’s hope and intention is that as you read these poems, you too will feel the heal, experience possibility and be inspired to open your heart to a world beyond what we see and know.
I thought my memoir was a once and done but life and my journey went on! I knew I needed to share my ongoing healing journey and viewing the past through a different, wiser lens.
In January of 2017, I released, "Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance".
Mary McManus knew challenges since she was five years old beginning with contracting polio followed by enduring nine years of violence at the hands of family members. Those early challenges prepared her for taking on the challenge of the diagnosis of post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease in December 2006 when she was at the height of her award winning career as a social worker at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Asking for Divine Guidance as she had throughout her trials and tribulations, she discovered the gift of poetry in her soul. Her first poem, “Running the Race,” foreshadowed her 2009 Boston Marathon run. “Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance,” chronicles Mary’s journey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma, as a runner and a woman who refused to quit. Eight years after her diagnosis, she was finally able to get traction on her healing journey to go the distance, a woman transformed who embodies the power of endurance. With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen
To quote the Cat in the Hat, "But that is not all oh no that is not all..."
After writing "Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance," I was sure that I was not going to write another memoir or publish another book.
The Universe had other plans and I felt the stirrings to write one more book that took a broad brush look at my quest to heal my life, bring my readers up to date on overcoming the challenge of a serious knee injury in December of 2014 and finding the courage to test my healing and my mettle by running 3 Bermuda Half Marathons in as many years.
“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 and shines the spotlight on the very fabric that weaves together the running community. Through the redemptive power of running, Mary transformed 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.
Twelve years - a trilogy of transformation and an anthology of poems to heal your life .... bringing a powerful message of healing, hope and possibility to those with open hearts and open minds.
It's a perfect time to purchase my books for summer beach reading and to support a great cause!
For the months of June and July, all book proceeds are being donated to my husband Tom's Falmouth Road Race Run for the Joseph Middlemiss Big Heart Foundation. In "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953", I share how the stars aligned to guide us to this incredible Foundation and the circle of runner love that surrounds.
My books are available on Amazon and "Feel the Heal" and "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953" are available in Natick Center Cultural District at Paula Romero Dunbar's Celebration Boutique Paper Fiesta coincidentally located on Mile 10 of the Boston Marathon Route.
From my heart to yours
In Health and Wellness,
Mary
Be sure to visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com
Hear my interview with Kendra Petrone on Magic 106.7's Exceptional Women Show by following this link
My books are available on Amazon and "Feel the Heal" and "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953" are available in Natick Center Cultural District at Paula Romero Dunbar's Celebration Boutique Paper Fiesta coincidentally located on Mile 10 of the Boston Marathon Route.
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