#LaCosteStrong Update - Don't Give Up! - All You Need is Love

On September 18th, I wrote a blog, "#LaCoste Strong - A Community of Love, Kindness and Big Hearts" featuring how a community came together to support Kevin and Ali LaCoste and their beautiful family following a fall that led to a traumatic spinal cord injury.

I feel goosebumps all over as I share this update with you.

On September 28th over 1100 people gathered for the 6th Annual Middlemiss Big Heart 5K. A portion of the proceeds went to their first ever race beneficiary, The LaCoste family.

There was not a dry eye on the field as Kevin addressed the crowd over the loud speaker:

"I'm a little sad I can't join you but next year I will definitely be there to celebrate Joseph and all the beautiful things he has done to inspire us even in his short life. Today... today while you're out there think about something you're grateful for and find a way to do some small kind act this week. Not only do the kind act but really think about how it made someone feel and think about how it made you feel as well. I hope everyone has a great day today and most importantly if you see Jack Middlemiss tell him I'm looking to kick his butt when I get home."

That last comment about Jack was in reference to a Q and A Ali had back on September 20th in which we were able to ask Kevin both light hearted and serious questions. Ali limited the questions to 10 but just had to include a Bonus Question from Jack:
11. Bonus Question!!!!! What are you going to do when I come to Spaulding and kick your butt? (Jack Middlemiss)

Kevin: I’m going to ride circles around you in my wheelchair until you get dizzy, then I’ll push you down, and kick your butt!!!! Do you want to piece of me? Or the whole thing?

I was blessed to accompany Ali and Kevin to the Abilities Expo on September 13th. Kevin and Ali had the opportunity to explore resources and equipment that would improve their quality of life as Kevin recovers from his injury.


As Kevin readied for discharge from Spaulding, Ali posted this about their new van:

Because of the wonderful people in our lives, Kevin and I were able to purchase a vehicle that will allow us to have the freedom of a “typical” family. Though the idea of driving a “mom-van” has never thrilled me, this car is completely awesome. The front seat pops right out, so that Kevin can ride up front where he belongs.

When he tried it out today, he navigated in and out of the car with such ease. He’s already a pro at figuring out this new challenge of his!

For those who have donated, fundraised, bought a t-shirt etc. Thank you. You took so much stress away from the pain of car-buying. You’re allowing me to help transport my husband in style.



The day everyone was waiting for happened on October 12th. Kevin was discharged from Spaulding Rehab Hospital after spending 83 days away from his home.



All the money was raised and crews worked tirelessly around the clock to make sure that Kevin would return home to a house that was accessible for him.

You & Me: We got this. That’s the sign that Kevin and I walked in to see in our beautiful new bedroom this past Saturday. I’ve repeated this statement to Kevin and to myself countless times over the past 3 days. I’ve wanted to reach out to you all and tell you that everything has been great. That our transition was seamless and it’s been easy. I’ve wanted to tell you that I’ve been an amazing caretaker and Kevin couldn’t be in better hands.... but I’ve been honest with all of you from the beginning, so I’m not going to start sugarcoating things now.

Saturday we came home to our dream home. Love and kindness radiated from every part. Signs lined the streets- made by the children who Kevin has influenced in some positive way. We were driving our new car that fundraisers helped us purchase. We were accompanied by my sister in law Lori LaCoste O'Donnell and brother in law Craig O'Donnell- who wouldn’t have let us travel that road alone. We came home to our excited children and my parents (Gail Buccini). We were joined by Kevin’s mom(Brenda Taylor LaCoste). There was so much love- along with a mix of emotions- fear, sadness, happiness, and uncertainty.

On this day of our return, when Kevin exited our car, he went in the opposite direction- away from the house. I had no idea what he was doing. He went onto the road and stopped in front of the tree where the accident happened. He paused for a while, released some tears and reflected on the fleeting moment in time when he was trying to be a silly dad and it all went wrong. And then he rolled into his new beautifully accessible home- with deck and patio to boot.... and shed some more tears, for a different reason this time.

The few days we’ve been here have been completely overwhelming. But with each day we know things will get easier and more routine. We know that in times of need, we have a HUGE army of supporters. And in due time, we’ll be calling on all of you to check in on and visit us. ❤️💜❤️

I can’t say that things will be perfect or that we’ll know what to do with every twist and turn.

What I can say with an open heart and true belief is that Kevin and I do “got this!” There is so much love in our home and surrounding us from all aspects of our lives. All four of us sleeping under one roof is a dream come true- no matter the circumstance.



Ali posted wonderful photos of the family experiencing watching their son's Saturday Flag Football and Baseball games:


They went to a friend's house to watch Patriots Football:


Right after Kevin’s accident I often thought of how was I ever going to be strong enough to get through this. I knew that I needed support, so I did some online research and found a few Facebook support groups. I quickly joined them and read the experiences others have handled- and tried to imagine the tumultuous road that we were destined to travel.

Most upsetting about some of these posts was that many complained that their friends and families abandoned them in their time of need. Now, I understand that every story is different and people handle problems in their own ways, but I couldn’t help but feel heartbroken. And I also felt so fortunate that I knew that would never happen to us.

Tonight, my feelings were affirmed. We had friends who sought us out, made sure they had space that Kevin could get to and had us over for a “normal” Patriots game viewing. The room was cozy, the fire blazing (which is good because Kevin is so often cold). We had munchies, beverages, and good conversations. Jonathan Ash and Colleen Donohoe Ash have proven to be true friends and in this new world we’re navigating we need them now more than ever. ❤️

It goes without saying that Lori LaCoste O'Donnell and Craig O'Donnell are also in it for the long haul. But we’re pretty happy that they’ve been hanging around a lot too. 😘
#LaCosteStrong

They were reunited with Kevin's inpatient team at MGH ICU, some of whom had never heard Kevin's voice because of the tracheotomy, when they went for a follow up visit with Kevin's surgical team:


Lisa Hughes and David Wade did a follow up story on WBZ that you can watch with a box of tissues by following this link.

Kevin Staffin exceeded his goal of $3000 to raise money for his dear friend Kevin and had to man up to his part of the deal that if he reached his fundraising goal (and he raised $3781) before he ran the New York City Marathon then he'd have to don Red Sox gear and make it his Facebook profile picture for at least a week! Kevin S. is a die hard Yankees fan.


Here is his finish photo from the Marathon which he dedicated to Kevin (notice the red socks):


And then on 10/31, we saw a Facebook post that brought goosebumps and tears:
Dear Robinson Families,

We are so happy to announce that, tomorrow morning, Mr. LaCoste will be coming to the Robinson School for a visit. We will come together as a school community in the cafeteria, and Mr. LaCoste will read us all a fun story and talk about the different SPIRIT core values the story addresses. We all look forward to spending some time with Mr. LaCoste!

Students are encouraged to wear a "LaCoste Strong" shirt, or a blue/gray-colored shirt, for this special visit.

This will, hopefully, be the first of many visits from our beloved principal.



I had a feeling it was no coincidence that Kevin was returning to his school on the day that Andy Grammer was going to be in Boston for the last concert of his Don't Give Up Tour.

Kevin's Army as we have come to be known flooded Twitter and Instagram with messages to Andy Grammer about why he should connect with Kevin while in Boston. With the help of angels both on earth and in heaven, including Erin O'Malley Mandeville of Boston's Mix 104.1, Andy Grammer sent this message out to Kevin and the Robinson School:



Here's the full video of Kevin's return to his school. I highly recommend you watch the entire video and feel the love surrounding but if you fast forward to 7:43, you'll see the kids singing Don't Give Up on Me to Kevin and then the surprise video from Andy Grammer:


Life happens. Tragedy strikes. Somehow with gratitude and faith, kindness and a village surrounding we don't give up and make it through.

All you need is love and as we follow the journey of #lacostestrong we see that theme resurface time and time again.

You can donate to the LaCoste Strong GoFundMe page by following this link.

To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours
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

6th Annual Middlemiss Big Heart 5K

Sometimes it's all about the bling. Sometimes it's all about a PR. Sometimes it's all about the cause and on September 28th, we run, walk or roll getting our Superheroes on for the 6th Annual Middlemiss Big Heart 5K. It's all about the cause!

Kate Middlemiss, Co-Founder of The Joseph Middlemiss Big Heart Foundation posted this on Facebook yesterday:
September is a rough month all around. In a lot of ways, I’d love to just skip over it but I’m determined to continue creating beauty out of darkness and touching lives with kindness. Right around this time, I purposely throw myself into our 5k planning as a way to 1)keep my Mind extra busy, 2)raise funds to carry out our important mission/carry on Joseph’s legacy, and 3)recognize all the goodness still present in our lives while honoring the superheroes among us.

It keeps me going through September and is so much more than just a race to me. It’s a truly extraordinary and symbolic day. This year is extra special because we have decided to LIVE out our kindness mission and create a “race beneficiary” subset of our event. Each year we will use some of the race proceeds to support an individual or organization in our community as our way of “giving back” and spreading kindness. This year’s recipient is someone near and dear to so many and a man who has embodied the word SUPERHERO the past several months: Kevin LaCoste.

Many of you know Kevin suffered a severe spinal cord injury back in July and has been putting forth the most courageous battle. We are doing our best to flood the LaCoste family with love and support and hope our race can help honor him as a superhero among us while relieving a bit of the financial burden of the injury. 
I’m not great at promoting events. I’ve come a long way but it’s still way out of my comfort zone. I hate flooding everyone’s news feeds with advertisements of another “can’t miss event” but I promise you this one is truly special. It’s an important day for my family, our foundation, and community at large. It truly highlights all the good that is still present in the world and is my way of letting my beautiful, first-born son know that his lessons in love continue on and on.

We have a fun morning planned with many special touches: kids fun run, celebrity mile exclusive to our race, tons of special guests, superhero costumes, live music along the entire course, and a family fun after-race celebration. Please take a moment to check out our race website. Register as a runner/walker, sign up as a volunteer, support us as a sponsor, and come out and have some fun. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. www.middlemissbigheart5k.com

Thank you to all the people who work tirelessly to make this event a possibility. Build a team, join virtually, spread the word.

Joseph Scott Middlemiss died on September 23, 2013 but even though he lived for only six years, his life, his love, his legacy live on in perpetuity thanks to the Foundation Kate and Scott created that is a magnet for kind hearted, big hearted individuals many of whom also love to run!

Their Mission:

The Joseph Middlemiss Big Heart Foundation honors Joseph's message of "All You Need is Love" by spreading kindness, empowering children, funding cardiomyopathy research, and supporting families dealing with pediatric cardiac conditions.

Their Goals:
1. To expand The Joseph Middlemiss "All You Need is Love" Mission, fostering the spread and documentation of Random Acts of Kindness on local, national, and international fronts. (https://www.facebook.com/JosephMiddlemissLove)

​2. To educate children on the power of kindness by supporting the efforts of schools (creating and leading motivational assemblies, providing books and related resources), and by empowering students through scholarships for music and martial arts.

​3. To contribute to research for and spread awareness of cardiomyopathy while providing financial, social, and emotional assistance to families impacted by these cardiac conditions.

There is always love, joy, community and special moments when we come together to honor Joseph. Here are a few scenes from last year's event:


Two years ago, this incredible moment happened:
September 23, 2017

So, today has been a day filled with mixed emotions. But, we continue to be blessed by the love and support of so many beautiful and wonderful people who continue to love Joseph and help us share his legacy of love and kindness. So, thank you all.

I have been looking through all the amazing pictures. And, this one just jumped out at me. I have gone back to look at it multiple times. There is so much inspiration, kindness, and beauty in this picture.

The other day, we asked our friend Rachel {who lives with cerebral palsy} to design a race that she wanted to participate in, to finish. This was her special race. And, she did such an amazing job and made the turn for the finish line with a big smile on her face and as strong as ever. This is Rachel crossing the finish line of HER race. And, it was amazing...topped off by the incredible Dick Hoyt presenting Rachel with a special "Superhero" medal.

This alone is amazing and beautiful. But, it is not the whole story that this picture tells. There is another runner in the picture. #378. His name is Danforth Sullivan. He was coming in to finish the 5K first overall at some ridiculously fast pace. No doubt he was going to finish under 18 minutes, something I cannot even fully comprehend. He was finishing up strong and then came upon Rachel finishing her race. So he stopped, slowed down, and let her finish, have her moment, losing valuable seconds to his own personal finish. And, where some may have been upset or tried to finish ahead of Rachel, he slowed down to cheer her on. And finished with a smile...celebrating this special moment.

I didn't know that this happened until I saw the picture. Come to find out that Danforth is a member of Team Zoe, the biggest super team. Thank you, Danforth Sullivan, for being a special part of this amazing moment. Joseph was definitely smiling down at this exact moment. I can feel it.



This year there is going to be a LaCoste Strong Team. Kevin's Army, as his supporters are called, will be a part of this year's event to run, walk and volunteer and honor this superhero and his wife Ali who are the embodiment of all that Team Big Heart stands for. Team Zoe who has had the biggest superhero team for the past two years has no problem losing their title to LaCoste Strong.



The above tees raised over $13,000 and are on the 3rd round of sales. LaCoste strong bracelets, bumper stickers, lemonade stands and a GoFundMe page have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to offset the cost of medical bills and both Ali and Kevin being out of work for an indeterminate amount of time. Kevin and Ali have raised thousands of dollars for Team Big Heart when Kevin ran Boston twice and they ran the Falmouth Road Race as part of Team Big Heart.

They are going to need our ongoing love and financial support. By making the 6th Annual Middlemiss Big Heart 5K the best race year ever, The Foundation will be able to help the LaCoste family while continuing to fund their wonderful Foundation initiatives.

Get your Superhero on and run with all your heart on September 28th. If you are out of the greater Boston area, you can do a virtual run and if you are not a runner, come walk with us. Volunteers are also needed. Follow this link to be a part of this epic community event.

It's going to be your best day ever!

To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours
Mary

To hear Race Director Dave McGillivray inspiring as only he can, he is going to be speaking at Whiraway Sports Center in Methuen on September 11th. Follow this link to register.

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.

Falmouth Road Race Weekend - Part 3 - Race Day!

After 3 months of fun(d) raising and training, race day finally arrived!

The night before, we set up everything for breakfast and what I would need to take as a spectator and support crew for Tom. We set the alarm for 4:45am to ensure we would have time for meditation and breakfast before heading to 23 Jericho Path where we would meet up with Teammates and other members of our support crew.

We had done a "dry run" from our hotel to the house several times from different routes and from Mile 6 back to the house on Saturday. We left nothing to chance or so we thought.

We arrived with Team Captains Linda and Brad Gilbreth and another teammate Eliza. We parked mostly on the sidewalk near the grass and since it was race day, we didn't give a second thought to where we parked. Eliza left her keys but when Linda and Brad asked Scott Middlemiss, founder with his wife Kate of The Joseph Middlemiss Big Heart Foundation, if she should leave her keys he said "No. We won't need to move cars."

Andrea's daughters were kind enough to provide transportation to the buses to the start and I was told to make myself comfortable while Kate rested with Jack and Gracie.

I went on social media where many of my friends were posting about race day including Ali LaCoste who was supposed to be running with her husband Kevin but he suffered a fall resulting in a traumatic spinal cord injury. She wrote a powerful poignant post about all the feelings engendered by the recent events in their lives and the outpouring of support gave me goosebumps and tears.

Sydney and Rachel returned from dropping off the runners at the starting line. We were relaxing and chatting in the kitchen when there was a knock on the door. I could see it was a policeman. We were informed that we were parked illegally and had to move our cars. We explained that we were part of the team running for the Foundation and one of the members didn't leave the keys to the car. He had no sympathy for us. The car was going to be towed! We asked if we could have it towed onto the grass where we were able to park. He barked that they wouldn't do it. When two more Team Big Heart members arrived who were going to be part of the cheer squad at Mile 6, we were able to convince him to let the car be towed on the grass.

While we were in the midst of handling what was happening with the cars, Tom and the Team's bus driver went the wrong way to Woods Hole. The driver had to circle back to Falmouth in order to get to Woods Hole again.

The cars were safely on the grass and the Team made it to the start.


Tina, Joanne and I decided to head to the Tent at Mile 6. Something nudged me to not go to Starbucks with them and to just head over to the Tent on my own.

I could see something was not right as there was a water stop being set up right at the Tent.

"Are you with this group?" the lead person at the water stop asked me.

"Yes I am," I said. "What's going on?"

"This Tent has to be moved."

"I see that."

"Who is in charge?"

"I am," I asserted and made an executive decision to have them move the tent to a grassy area in front of someone's house. There were other spectators lining the road in front of the house and it did not seem as though anyone was home. I took a deep breath and hoped for the best! I knew that angel Joseph would be with us watching over us.

Tina, Joanne and I settled in for an incredible spectator experience. Rod Dixon walked by. He gave me the warmest greeting and I introduced him to Team Big Heart and Tina and Joanne.

Kathy Sullivan Boyer and Dick Hoyt set up chairs next to us.

Now that our little crises were behind us, it was time to soak up the excitement of race day.

Tom sent me photos and videos from the start to help me feel like I was right there with him:

Photos at Woods Hole before the start including race director Dave McGillivray, Frank Shorter, and our new friend Bill in the wheelchair division. Out of 12,000 runners, Tom found our friend Steve and took a selfie with him:


The singing of The National Anthem:


The start of the push rim wheelchair division:


The start of the elite women's race:


Having a front row seat at a road race is medicine for my soul and sharing that front row street with the wonderful Team Big Heart running family makes the race that much sweeter!

What a thrill to see Daniel Romanchuk fly by in his push rim wheelchair. He went on to set a new course record. We saw Tatyana McFadden who went on to also set a course record. The 2nd place elite male runner was in hot pursuit of the lead runnner and I followed them with my eyes until they dropped out of sight. An American soldier, Leonard Korir went on to win and his is a story of perseverance and not giving up.

I spotted W27 and screamed to cheer Bill on to the finish.

Jack who is 18 months post heart transplant and his sister Gracie were adorable spectators standing tall on Andrea's daughter's shoulders giving high-fives to the runners:


Joanne and Tina kept watch for Team Big Heart runners to welcome them to Mile 6 and offer them the traditional shot of beer to take them to the finish while I spotted friends Shawn Whalen, Brian Baker and Marc LeBlanc as they ran by. We saw Desi Linden and were all in awe of her stride. Tina became our official Mile 6 photographer. I had just sat down to take a break from all the excitement when Joanne announced, "Here comes your husband." I was stunned because he was going to take it easy with his run especially given the heat and humidity. The day began with fog and misting and we hoped the sun wouldn't break through but it did. Tom arrived looking strong and Tina took these photos:


We welcomed Team Big Heart runners with hugs and high fives wishing them well for the last mile of the race.

Beth Singleton Craig of Team Babsie fame said she would stop for a selfie at Mile 6. They are part of Team Hoyt. Dick and Kathy hugged Beth, Diane MacDonald and two other members of Team Hoyt running with Team Babsie and Joanne took this selfie:


When Tom finished he sent me a text and began walking back to mile 6.

Before he arrived, a woman came up to me holding up her phone. "Is this your husband?" she asked and showed me this photo:


I tried to place her. Tom saw her wearing a Heart Warrior Foundation t-shirt and asked her to take his picture by his finish time. As it turned out, Kimberly and I are Facebook friends through the network of connections through the Middlemiss Foundation. It is indeed a small world and we are all connected.

Crowds made their way back along the route after crossing the finish line but there were still a lot of back of the packers coming through. We made sure to cheer extra loud for them and gave them words of encouragement.

Tina, Joanne, Tom and I made our way back to 23 Jericho Path where Kate and Scott were hosting a team party.

Runners regaled stories of their race and spectators shared the excitement of race day.

To date, Team Big Heart raised $13,126.

As we ate hamburgers, hot dogs, salad, pasta salad, crackers and cheese and chips and salsa, Tina "just happened" to look up.

There was a rainbow that appeared out of nowhere...There had been no rain yet there was a rainbow right over the house.


Kate said there was also a butterfly in the garden.

Joseph Middlemiss let us know he was with us and I believe he was smiling and sending love and gratitude to us for carrying on his legacy of kindness and love.

You can still donate to the Team by following this link.



We said our goodbyes -- our long goodbyes with hugs and agreed that this would become an annual tradition! With hugs and tears we all agreed that somehow, some way Ali and Kevin would be with us again crossing that finish line of The Falmouth Road race together! They were with us in our hearts all day and Team Big Heart ran for #lacostestrong! Andrea was in charge of writing Kevin on the runners. Tom had her write his name down his arm so he could carry Kevin and Ali with him close to his heart:


Tom and I got changed at our hotel and headed to the beach to unwind and relax after an incredibly wonderful day. We went to The Flying Bridge for dinner again, went to Main Street to soak up the energy that is uniquely Falmouth and just had to have a Ben and Bill's ice cream to top off our day.

We had one more day to round out our Falmouth Road Race Weekend.

To be continued.....

To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours
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.