On Father's Day

I scroll through my Facebook news feed and I see photos and tributes to fathers.

A father is a person of strength who guides us, helps us feel grounded yet encourages us to follow our dreams; supports us, provides us with a foundation to believe in ourselves, loves us unconditionally and gives us tough love when we need it. My biological father was unable to fulfill this role for me. While he helped me to recover during the acute phase of paralytic polio and made sure I had access to the best possible medical care, three years later and for 9 years, I bore the brunt of his alcoholic rages and projections from his psychotic thoughts. He threatened my life on numerous occasions. But this blog IS a message of healing, hope and possibility.

My strong connection to the Divine Father has guided me since I contracted paralytic polio at age 5 and upheld and strengthened me through the trials and tribulations of my life. I can feel this strength, love, light, compassion, grace and gratitude flow deep within the river of my soul.

I have been blessed with wonderful people who have provided me with all I need on my journey.

I thought it fitting to share the video we just uploaded from my Book Release Party on 5/23. You can read about the evening in my post, "Everything I Imagined and More."



This is the first Father's Day that I can feel joy for those who were able to experience wonderful relationships with their fathers and grandfathers and who feel a sense of continuity and tradition in their lives. Mine was a different path to walk.

I can celebrate myself this Father's Day. Despite having a father who was unable to provide for me, I celebrate the woman I have become drawing from the strength of the Divine Father and so many who have blessed my life with support, encouragement, guidance, healing, love, laughter and the gift of running.

May you find peace in your heart, strength in your soul and joy and light in your life however you choose to celebrate Father's Day.


My memoir, "Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility" is now available on Amazon.

"Wait, I have one more goal," Mary McManus told her personal trainer in February of 2008 shortly after coming out of her toe up leg brace. "I want to run the Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab Hospital." Mary traded in her polio shoes for running shoes and embarked on the journey of a lifetime. Mary McManus was at the height of her career as a VA social worker when she was told by her team at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital’s International Rehab Center for Polio in December of 2006 that she needed to quit her job if she had any hope of preventing the progression of post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease. In “Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility” Mary takes you on her seven year healing odyssey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma from her diagnosis, to taking a leap of faith to leave her award winning career at the VA to heal her life and follow her passion as a poet and writer. You’ll experience her trials, tribulations and triumphs as she trains for and crosses the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and discovers the opportunity for healing in the wake of new trauma: the suicide of her nephew in 2011, and the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. This is Mary's journey of coming home to her human form free from the influences of the ghastly ghostly invaders who had invaded her sacred earthly home. Her memoir includes journals and blog posts from her seven year healing odyssey. This is her journey of transformation and her message of healing, hope and possibility.

I donate 50% of royalty payments through on line sales to The One Fund to help Boston Marathon survivors and their families. Copies are also available at Brookline Marathon Sports. $5 of each book sold at Marathon Sports is donated to The One Fund.