"Life's Tough. That's Why We Run!"

Bill Rodgers once said to me, "Life's tough. That's why we run. When we can handle the challenges on the road, we can handle the challenges in life." 

It's been a very challenging year for Team McManus and these past several months have been extremely challenging with Ruth Anne recovering from Functional Neurological Disorder. When she first experienced symptoms, we were told she had an excellent prognosis but it would take a lot of hard work. She's finishing up a series of appointments with physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy at Spaulding Rehab Hospital outpatient therapy center. The recovery has been miraculous and she continues to work hard in her home exercise program. Prior to having a diagnosis we were not sure what was happening to her or what the prognosis would be. She would lose the ability to speak and walk and experience severe weakness and numbness. When I saw the list of therapy appointments, I reminded myself that we are marathoners. We were going to take this one mile/appointment at a time. We were going to dig deep to get through this marathon of healing. Ruth Anne has 3 speech therapy appointments left and has completed her PT and OT treatments. The retraining of her brain's software continues with the exercises brilliantly prescribed by her PT and Speech Therapist. We know how fortunate we are that she was diagnosed so quickly and therapy began within a few weeks of the onset of symptoms.

Tom and Ruth Anne had an unusual training cycle for the Cape Cod Hyannis Half Maratthon last weekend. Yet they nailed their pace and time. Tom, however, tripped and fell a few feet before the finish line. He got up, got his medal and got evaluated by the medical team. On Sunday he went to Urgent Care and was told he had a hair line wrist fracture; use splint, ice and ibuprofen and see the orthopedist. Last Wednesday was an extraordinarily long day as Tom needed a CAT scan to further evaluate the need for cast vs. surgery. We thought it would be a quick in and out appointment to confirm it was healing and no further intervention  was needed. But just like a race doesn't always go as predicted, we took deep breaths to get through the miles of that day. And in the midst of Tom's wrist fracture, there was an issue with a change in Ruth Anne's health insurance. Her PCP was no longer going to accept her insurance.

I asked one of my close friends in a text, "how do we do all this?" She was jugging work and upcoming surgery for her older mom who had fractured her arm in July and now needed surgical repair. After a few moment's reflection I responded,  "Aah it;s because we are marathoners!" She totally agreed that because we tackle challenges on the road, we are physically and emotionally prepared to tackle challenges in life.

Ruth Anne's insurance situation is resolved after several phone calls and back and forth emails. Tom's surgery is scheduled for next Wednesday. It's an 8 week recovery period but he will have a 100% recovery with no residuals after the surgery heals.

No matter how challenging life may seem at times, I know that my endurance and resilience was born when I discovered the most unlikely runner within me rising after the once devastating diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome.

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, where you can find my incredibly inspirational story and upcoming events.

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.