As a polio survivor, I learned a lot about shame, embarrassment, low self esteem and staying in the background. I did not learn how to celebrate me, celebrate life and celebrate every experience of the tapestry of my life. This year has been an incredible year of ongoing transformation which began with the diagnosis of post polio syndrome three years ago in December 2006. I believe that everyone has had experiences which have dampened the Spirit or, as Deborah Hill poignantly says, blows out our…
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Added by Mary McManus on December 31, 2009 at 10:52am —
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My dear friend
Jordan Rich of Boston's WBZ Radio asked me to contribute a poem to the "For the Children" booklet to benefit Boston Children's Hospital. He asked me to write a poem which celebrates children. My cousins used to tell me when I was growing up that I was too serious and that I should be more 'like a child'. Well, having had polio and then going through innumerable traumatic events, it's difficult to not take life seriously. But, as Tony Robbins…
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Added by Mary McManus on December 17, 2009 at 3:30pm —
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Added by Mary McManus on December 10, 2009 at 4:37pm —
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Shoes - shoes is the title for a blog post? Yes it is when you are a polio and post polio survivor who is going to Lincoln Center tomorrow night for the End Polio Now benefit concert. In the world I grew up in - Westchester County, NY, a suburb of New York City, appearances were very important. I received that message through the media and through the women in my family. My mother's outer appearance was always impeccable. She modeled for the clubs my father belonged to in their annual shows. She…
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Added by Mary McManus on December 1, 2009 at 11:34am —
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It's that time of year --when the world falls in love as the beautiful holiday song says so how do you avoid the pitfalls of becoming stressed to the max? So how do you maintain your center of peace? How do you withdraw from the flurry of commercials telling you to buy this or that to make someone happy this holiday season? You can make yourself happy this holiday season by giving yourself the gift of time. During Thanksgiving, I found that taking the time to set my intentions for each day befor…
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Added by Mary McManus on November 28, 2009 at 5:51pm —
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I haven't watched Extreme Makeover Home Edition in a very long time. On Sunday evenings, my husband and I have a guilty pleasure of watching The Amazing Race. At a couple of minutes past 8, a dear friend of mine (who has an incredible story all her own as a childhood cancer survivor) called and told me to turn on Extreme Makeover - they were featuring a polio survivor.
I needed a box of tissues to watch the show. James Terpenning had polio as an infant in Vietnam. He was rescued by the Air Forc…
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Added by Mary McManus on November 10, 2009 at 10:50am —
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Congratulations to the finishers of the New York City Marathon today including two of my cyber friends Pamela Robbins and Kevin Green. I watched the race throughout the day on line. I tracked the results for Kevin and Pamela; I remembered how my friends were concerned that they could not track me on line and that is the feeling I felt when I did not see results for Pamela after the 15 mile mark. Then my daughter suggested I click on next and also pointed out she could still be on the course and…
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Added by Mary McManus on November 1, 2009 at 9:05pm —
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On 9/7 a tweet from Lissa Rankin caught my eye. I clicked on the tweet link and felt this overwhelming urge to do as she suggested - write my obituary.
Mary (Alper) McManus died on 12/26/2053 the day after she celebrated her 100th birthday surrounded by her husband of 76 years, Tom, her twins Ruth Anne and Tom,Jr, her grandchildren, great grandchildren and adoring friends and fans of her poetry. She made her transition peacefully in her sleep.
Mary will best be remembered for her gentle, lovin…
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Added by Mary McManus on October 22, 2009 at 7:30pm —
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No yardsticks,no stopwatch, no ledgers can ever measure
Success
Touching a human heart
Sharing courage, faith, trust
Success
Being bold, taking a risk, stretching the soul
Success
Being vulnerable, being real, loving and being loved
Success
Passion, purpose, reaching for the stars
Success
Feeling freedom
Success
Setting ego aside
Success
Finding meaning in suffering
Success
Holding onto hope against all odds
Success
Feeling joy
Success
Feeling peace
Success
Knowing I am a Divine Child of God
SUC…
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Added by Mary McManus on October 2, 2009 at 9:45am —
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On the invitation to Spaulding Rehab's fund raiser for the Weingarten Adaptive Sports Program, there is a photo of an ant windsurfing. I thought to myself, how odd that they use an ant. I think of ants as those pesky little creatures who run amok at a picnic. As emcee of the program, Kelly Tuthill of WCVB Channel 5 here in Boston talked about that little old ant in the song "High Hopes". In case you are not familiar with it, the lyrics are:
Next time your found, with your chin on the ground
The…
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Added by Mary McManus on September 23, 2009 at 12:00pm —
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My name is Mary McManus and I am a Type A personality. It was 'sobering' to hear Dr. Darren Rosenberg of Spaulding Rehab International Rehab Center for Polio comment on polio survivors as Type A personalities in a BU Today feature on my Boston Marathon Run. It was time for me to take another look at how I was still driving myself. I was not giving myself permission to be retired from full time work; I wasn't allowing myself time to be in the ebb and flow and be in a state of grace and gratitude.…
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Added by Mary McManus on August 8, 2009 at 1:50pm —
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When we arrived home the other day, there was a car parked in our driveway. I recognized it as the neighbor's car. They are getting ready to move after living in Boston for only a year. There is a lot of drama surrounding their lives which I don't need to expound upon. They have been asking a lot of favors from us and want to sell us some of their furniture. When I saw the car in our driveway, I had a visceral reaction and felt violated, taken advantage of and wanted to just 'go off' on them. Fo…
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Added by Mary McManus on July 19, 2009 at 7:52pm —
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"I hated every minute of training, but I said, "Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion." Muhammed Ali
As a polio survivor I learned shame and embarrassment about what I could not physically accomplish. I am amazed that I found the strength and dignity to stand in gym class every day facing the taunts and jeers of my peers. Having had a vision of God when I was 5, somewhere deep inside I felt God's presence and knew the Truth that they could not touch my soul. But ne…
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Added by Mary McManus on July 2, 2009 at 9:30am —
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Do you remember that song from You're a Good Man Charlie Brown - "Happiness is..." - it speaks to all the simple pleasures in life and the final lines to the song are: "FOR HAPPINESS IS ANYONE AND ANYTHING AT ALL THAT'S LOVED BY YOU." I will confess that after running the Boston Marathon, I had expectations that I would go on to be competing in road races, beating my personal records, getting up early to attend breakfast meetings... I had the expectation that I had beaten post polio syndrome as…
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Added by Mary McManus on June 26, 2009 at 4:42pm —
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When I walked into the Spaulding Framingham Clinic running clinic on Wednesday evening, I had no idea that the members of the team who had treated me for post polio syndrome would be there. Spaulding Rehab sponsors a free running clinic with tips on remaining injury free while running. What a surprise when I was greeted with warm smiles from the members of the team who had treated me for post polio syndrome. When they had first met me, I was struggling to make it through each day. Kerry, my phys…
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Added by Mary McManus on June 5, 2009 at 4:58pm —
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Okay so you think, huh? Has this woman lost her mind? Why is she writing about a chocolate covered Grand Canyon quarter and furthermore what is a chocolate covered Grand Canyon Quarter.God has been sending me signs on this amazing journey. Last Saturday, after a run, I noticed a quarter on the sidewalk. When I picked it up it was slimy and brown but the scent of chocolate let me know right away that God was not sending me poop. I was holding a cup of water which was almost finished so I plopped…
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Added by Mary McManus on June 2, 2009 at 8:36pm —
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Celebrate the Hero Within
“Heroism may be the only way to love. Heroism can't be preached; it has only to show itself, and its mere presence may stir others to action.” Henri Bergson
Every morning when I awake, I see a painting created by a former patient of mine at the VA. He became a quadriplegic as a result of multiple sclerosis. He had never painted before the diagnosis of MS. He had the courage to share the blessing and the gift which emerged from the greatest challenge of his life. As he…
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Added by Mary McManus on April 26, 2009 at 4:30pm —
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Whether running the Boston Marathon or running my life, there are invaluable lessons which I learned during this journey.
Keep my own pace – in this world of cut throat competition and everyone wanting to edge everyone out, it is crucial that I stick to my own steady pace. It is important to be self contained and not allow the crush of the crowd to overwhelm me or veer me away from what I know to be true. There was a crush of runners after the first wave of runners started in Hopkinton who caug…
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Added by Mary McManus on April 24, 2009 at 6:17pm —
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When it comes to mental toughness, I learned at an early age about mind over matter. If I would have listened to the pain created by the polio virus, I would never have been able to regain my ability to walk. I am so grateful to Miss Holly, my physical therapist who tempered the pain with her warmth and her love, reading Dr. Seuss to me before every grueling session. If I would have listened to the physical pain I experienced training for the Boston Marathon and the pain I experienced during the…
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Added by Mary McManus on April 23, 2009 at 2:30pm —
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There is no greater power than the power of Love. When I was first diagnosed with post polio syndrome in December 2006, not only was I faced with the physical challenge of using a brace and a cane and at times a wheelchair for mobility, but I was faced with a choice. Would I choose the path of anger, resentment and self loathing because 'this was happening to me all over again?' or would I choose the path of Love. With love and support from the staff at the International Rehab Center for Polio,…
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Added by Mary McManus on April 21, 2009 at 12:51pm —
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Celebration
