And then a series of impossible quotes filled my news feed and memories! It was a nudge from the Universe to write a blog post about impossible and how I transformed my life despite all appearances to the contrary after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in 2006.
I was introduced to Dr. Bernie Siegel in the mid-1980's when I was hospitalized with a staph infection in my shoulder. My nurse, Beth Jordan, said that my life needed healing. Talk about an earth angel. She brought in cassette tapes of his talks and I immersed myself in his books. I met him at a lecture he was giving and he became my Bonus Dad. After the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, I joined his Forum. We developed an even deeper relationship as he gave me loving support as I took on the challenge of running the 2009 Boston Marathon. I had never run a day in my life and had just come out of my toe-up leg brace and using a cane for mobility. At times, I was using a wheelchair! When I told my personal trainer I wanted to run the Boston Marathon after six months of working together, she could have said that's impossible! Instead she said I would need a pair of running shoes as I share in this excerpt from On The Runs podcast Ep. 56:
The runner within me was born in my imagination. Long before I bought my first pair of running shoes, I wrote the poem, "Running the Race." I saw something in my mind's eye that contradicted what Western Medicine told me; that defied my deconditioned state. Yet in February of 2008, that first poem I wrote was about to foreshadow my 2009 Boston Marathon run!
That first day I learned how to run, my personal trainer said, "It's like walking only faster." My heart rate went up over 160. But a minute of running, turned into 30 minutes of running, turned into a 5K, a 10K, a half marathon and 26.2 miles raising $10,535 for Spaulding Rehab. The training and the fundraising seemed at once overwhelming and exhilarating!
It seemed impossible until I crossed both finish lines on April 20, 2009.
After a serious knee injury in 2014, I was told that I should never have started running. I should stop running or cap my distance at a 5K and prepare for a total knee replacement in a few years. "The MRI shows that your gastroc muscle atrophied as a result of the polio. There's nothing we can do about that."
I found my way to a chiropractor/healer who told me I just HAD to read Dr. Joe Dispenza's book, "You Are the Placebo". With chiropractic care, KT tape, a new strength training regimen, visualization and my belief in the body's tremendous capacity to heal, I healed my knee injury, grew a new gastroc muscle and went on to run 3 Bermuda Half Marathons.
After a setback in 2021/2022 after an adverse reaction to the 2nd COVID vaccine, I realized that I had not come that far to only go that far in my health and wellness journey. I remembered all that I had healed through the years despite all appearances to the contrary and despite what Western Medicine told me. I'm back on the roads having found my finish line at the 10K distance, have a goal race of the Somerville Jingle Bell 5K in December and have my sights set on a half marathon again in 2025!
It's kind of fun to do the impossible! My 7th book, "A Most Unlikely Runner:Inspiration From The Heart of a Warrior" will wow you with my incredible journey where I consistently defied the odds and transformed impossible to a powerful message of healing, hope and infinite possibilities!
In health and wellness,
Mary
Visit my 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 with links to podcast interviews, speaking engagements and
where you can find my incredibly inspirational story. My interview with
the amazing On the Runs podcast team of Erika Hamel and Eric Knuuttunen
is Episode 56. Be sure to subscribe and download on your favorite podcast platform and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
Proud to BU is a podcast highlighting the illustrious achievements of Boston University Alumni. Here is the link to my episode.
My books that pack powerful messages of healing, hope and possibilities are available on Amazon My 7th book, "A Most Unlikely Runner:Inspiration From The Heart of a Warrior" is receiving rave reviews and is a selection of the WBZ News Radio Book Club.
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