In December of 2006, I was diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome and was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair. "If you use it you will lose it," was the admonishment I received. I got scared - very scared and then I got still and asked for Divine Guidance.
The answer came in the form of a poem:
Running the Race
Early summer 1959 my kindergarten year
everyone around me filled with nervous fear
despite the Salk vaccine hope polio would disappear
the polio virus crept right up and knocked me in the rear.
Dancing all around the gym feeling free just like a bird
I dropped to the ground just like a stone and no one said a word.
The pain it was so searing-the diagnosis even worse
"It's polio" the doctor said...he was abrupt and terse.
Called one of the 'lucky ones' I had a 'mild case'
but with the other athletes I could never keep their pace.
Miss Holly physical therapist, curly hair and a warm, broad smile
it tempered the pain of being apart - to walk I'd take awhile.
I always wore those 'special' shoes the kids they poked and teased
With no support and much abuse with childhood I wasn't pleased.
But put nose to the grindstone and learned all that I could
I couldn't kick a ball but my grades were always good.
Years went by and no more thought to polio did I give
I accepted the limp and everything else and decided my life I would live.
But symptoms of weakness and muscle pain did grow
I kept a stoic face hoping no one else would know.
Life no longer was my own I struggled through each day
Suffered in silence, isolated from friends- trying to keep depression at bay.
And with the grace of glorious God my world it opened wide
I discovered there was a Post Polio team and they were on my side.
Using wheelchair to travel, set limits on what I could do,
resulted in joy to realize I could live life anew.
Celebrated my body- creaks, groans and need for a brace
While in my mind I focused on winning a 10K race.
Sought out paths for healing and my spirit flew free
for the first time in life, I could truly be me.
The chains are gone and possibilities abound
I'm a tree with my roots planted firmly in ground.
I'm now off the sidelines, no need to sit and whine
So much gratitude fills my heart and love and beauty shine.
After all these years I can join the loving human race
I exceed all expectations and now I set the pace.
And then I got curious. Why was I writing a poem about running a race when I'd never run a day in my life, was using a leg brace and cane and at times a wheelchair for mobility and was told I "had" a progressive neuromuscular disease. Poetry started pouring out of me as though a spigot was turned on in my soul inspiring mind, body and soul to heal from the once devastating effects of childhood paralytic polio and trauma.
I completed outpatient rehab at Spaulding Rehab and then went on to hire a personal trainer in October of 2007. From Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility
At my six-month evaluation in February, I had dramatically improved in every area of the assessment. I had come out of my leg brace and I knew that I was on a healing path. Janine asked me what my next health and fitness goals were.
“Well I want to feel free in my body. I want to dance. I want to be able to walk outside and feel unencumbered when I take a walk.”
Janine wrote feverishly and we worked out a plan. She gathered up her belongings and had her hand on the door knob.
“Wait. I have one more goal.”
Janine stopped and turned around.
“I want to run the Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab Hospital. I know they have a Race for Rehab team and I want to do it next year.”
Janine was non-plussed. I don’t know what kept her from turning tail and getting as far away from me as she could. She came back into my house and put down her things. She said that the first thing I would need is a pair of running shoes. She told me that Marathon Sports on Beacon Street would be able to help me. She laid out a cursory training plan and said that we would begin indoors to build up my cardio endurance. As soon as the weather got a little warmer, we’d go outdoors and I would learn how to run.
My first 5K was on June 1, 2008 - The Corrib Classic 5K Road Race:
Before gun time as people were milling around on Billings Field, I had my first introduction to the running community. It's easy for strangers to become friends while waiting for a race to start. I instinctively shared my story with different people we encountered and was absolutely astounded by their response to me. As we ran through the streets of West Roxbury, Tom shouted - first road race ever. She's a polio survivor! People cheered and I ran through the hoses that people sprayed the runners with, with a sense of play and freedom although each step was a challenge for me especially the last long hill. I hadn't run for 40 continuous minutes yet in my training program so I had to stop and walk for awhile. I had only been running outside since late April. But it didn't matter. I was on the road to the Boston Marathon and this was my first time being cheered rather than jeered as I ran. My nickname in gym class was "Easy Out Alper" and I was always picked last for teams.
It was the most incredible experience of my life. The time on the clock didn't matter. All that mattered was that I finished and felt a sense of accomplishment like nothing I had ever felt before in my life. Each step I took without a leg brace was a miracle. Crossing a finish line of a 5K race was a miracle and the beginning of 10 years of running races of different distances at different paces making treasured friendships along the way.
In 2014, I was blessed to celebrate my race-i-versary at the Corrib Classic with Tom and two very dear friends, Julie and Margo Feeney
As promised before the starting gun went off, Julie, Margo and Tom let me set the pace. I felt good in my body and wasn't concerned in the least about my finishing time. We all wanted to enjoy each other's company and the day. I love how Margo said, “When you go at a slower pace, you really get to enjoy the race.” We talked about their Boston Marathon run, books, songs, and movies and drank in the neighborhood feel to the race. There were no mile markers. I didn't have my NikePlus on. I listened to my body. I stopped for water and made sure I kept myself well hydrated and cool. The sprinklers were out in full force. Margo said what a privilege it was for her to run with me and how running at a slower pace lets you enjoy the race experience for a longer amount of time. The only time that truly matters is the time well spent with loved ones on a beautiful summer's day running through neighborhoods and feeling a part of something much bigger than myself.
Every time I get out there and run, I know that I inspire others with my journey.
Every time I go out and run I celebrate the miracle of healing in my life.
It's a great day to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of my first road race and feeling excited for what the next 10 years will bring!
To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours,
Mary
Proud to be a part of Friends of Blue Diamond Athletic Displays, Inc.
Be sure to visit my website by following this link.
My books are available on Amazon.
Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life
Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing Hope and Possibility that chronicles the first 7 years of my healing journey:
And my latest and greatest book - Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):
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