Believing is Seeing

 

Joseph Campbell once said, "Follow your bliss and the Universe will open doors when once there were only walls." On May 25, 2007,  I followed my new found bliss as a poet and writer after the life changing diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease. I believed in a future very different than the one the doctors predicted for me and 'saw' a future through the power of my pen that I called my divining rod for healing. I believed that I was not destined to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair but had no idea how that would manifest in my life. 

I took a leap of faith leaving behind a steady paycheck and an award winning social work career at the VA to heal my life. I believed in a life that went beyond the appearances of being physically weak and spiritually burned out. The first book I wrote is called,  "Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibilities." I went on to write a Trilogy of Transformation and to experience a life transformed through the sport of running. 

My running journey intertwined with my daughter's journey of healing with an autoimmune condition called PANS/PANDAS. It is beautifully captured in this article written in the Boston College News. After raising $8000 by running the Providence Half Marathon for Victory Programs, she decided she wanted to run a Trilogy of Half Marathons and raise $10,000 for Victory Programs that serves Boston's most vulnerable individuals and helps with housing, food security, care for mental health and substance use challenges and helps previously disenfranchised individuals to become a part of a community of caring.

On August 5, 2022, her tote board was at zero dollars. Today it is at:

Ruth Anne originally planned to run Newburyport, Hyannis and Providence. Hyannis Race Weekend fell on the weekend of Tom and my 45th anniversary. New Bedford set a last minute course time limit of 3 hours. Ruth Anne extended the fundraiser until October and registered for the Bay State Half Marathon.

In May, a month went by without any donations. Ruth Anne and I decided that we needed to do something to garner donations... but what??? She had done gift giveaways and Dine and Donate nights with her first fundraising campaign. She did two gift giveaways for the Trilogy of Half Marathons campaign. I had no idea how another gift giveaway was going to come together but believed as Ruth Anne did that the Universe would support her vision.

I set up a new Wheel of Names wheel which is what we use to select the winners. We didn't have a donor on it! It was a completely blank wheel. We also didn't have any gifts to giveaway but imagined a Boston Seaport Getaway. Ruth Anne and I started reaching out to potential gift giveaway sponsors. We had an after long run lunch at Joe Pace & Sons in the Seaport. Ruth Anne asked our friend Joe who we knew from the days when I worked at the VA if he'd support her fundraiser. He gave her four $25 gift cards. As we announced there was going to be a gift giveaway, even though we didn't yet have gifts on board except for the Joe Pace's gift cards and two $50 gift cards to Tavern on the Green in Lowell, donations started coming in thanks to Ruth Anne's weekly and sometimes twice weekly videos.

The wheel now has 530 entries from chances that were $10 each or 3/$25. As the date got closer to the giveaway, we increased chances to 2/$10 or 6/$25. Here is the list of gifts Ruth Anne and I were able to secure with our vision and passion.

4 $25 gift cards to J Pace & Son Inc
2 $50 gift cards to Tavern In The Square Lowell
1 $50 gift card to Heartbreak Hill Running Company
1 $20 gift card to Eight Cousins Books
A Year's subscription to Dan Harris Ten Percent Happier App
2 $25 gift cards to Livite Brookline
A $100 gift card to Golden Temple
And the grand prize: A one night's stay at the The Westin Boston Seaport District Hotel with breakfast for two at Sauceity AND a $200 gift card to Ocean Prime Boston

Ruth Anne's body experienced a flair of PANS several weeks ago. There were some very dark moments during the flair but I kept believing, despite all appearances to the contrary, that she would be treated with antibiotics and meds to help with sleep and anxiety and the other symptoms of PANS and would be calling to say she is ready to come home. I called upon the prayer warriors in our incredible village to send healing energy and to pray for her health and well-being. She is being discharged today. 

It is truly miraculous what can happen when we hold to love, passion and purpose deep in our hearts and imagine the possibilities. Believing is seeing!

 

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness,
Mary

Visit my ***NEW*** website to be inspired by my journey. May it ignite a spark within you to go farther than you ever believed you could. Be sure to visit the News and Events Page.

My books that pack powerful messages of healing, hope and possibilities are available on Amazon

Thank you to Mike Reilly for featuring my story on Stories From the Finish Line Sponsored by CURAD Performance Series to inspire others.

Be sure to subscribe to the On the Runs podcast for stories of individuals who are fierce and determined to overcome challenges, set goals and crush them. Here is the link to my Episode 56 Be sure to subscribe to their new YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@OnTheRuns to enhance your podcast listening experience!