When Channel 7 said they wanted to do a story on my 2009 Boston Marathon run, as so often happens in my life, I could not have possibly imagined what would unfold. Last Monday, Rhett Lewis, sports reporter and anchor & Gregg (the videographer) from Channel 7 interviewed me about my run. The Sports segment of the news lasts for about 3 minutes which meant my story would run for about 1 minute 20 seconds at most. Talk fast, keep it to the point and share the light of God's flame which burns in my soul. I gave them footage from the documentary, "Keeping the Pace" and the CD of Marathon Photos from Johannes Hirn. Having the documentary and photos to share is in and of itself another example of how God prepares the way before me. We were able to upload the Channel 7 news segment to my You Tube channel - www.youtube.com/marysunshine100 -- bring some tissues -- people who are watching it tell me that it is moving them to tears!
The segment was going to air on Monday evening but because of the celebration of Boston College's NCAA Hockey win, the story was bumped. As I have learned along this journey, when something gets bumped or doesn't come to fruition there is always a higher purpose involved. They told me the story would air Friday or Saturday. Whenever a newspaper or TV news writes one's story, there is a great amount of trust that goes into the process. We were taught in public relations class that there is no such thing as 'bad' publicity and this is true. But in the early days of having my story covered,while I am so grateful that it was being shared, there were misquotes and tones with which I was not in agreement. I came to realize that in fact these were often reflections of how I was portraying myself on a subconscious level. But I digress -- as time has gone on I become increasingly aware of the messages I want to convey about my journey.I have learned the importance of going within and asking God for guidance. Channel 7 captured the spirit of Team McManus' Boston Marathon run to perfection.
I was told it would air Friday during the 6 o'clock hour. We patiently waited for the Sports segment to come on. There was breaking news which I thought might result in getting my story bumped (yes there is still that little polio kid within who forgets to remember that she is a child of God and to release the un-beliefs about what others were saying no longer serve me) The sports reporter was reporting live from Fenway Park -- there was a story about the Red Sox, a story about the Celtics and then..."Marathon Monday is just three days away and there is lots of inspiration out there..." cut to the story about Team McManus. The story epitomizes the miracle of transformation and healing that I have experienced; the possibility and hope that inspires others as they face life's challenges.
If the story would have aired on Monday, that would have been that but since it aired on Friday before Marathon Monday, it was aired all weekend long! I received phone calls and emails from friends that they had seen me on the news and they were so inspired again. People were crying tears of joy and their hearts swelled as they experienced God's love and light through me. I heard from people I had not heard from in months. It even boosted pre-sale orders of my 2nd book. It was a feel good story that this weary and cynical world needs.
Since neither Tom nor I were running Boston this year, we opted to cheer on all of our friends who we knew were running. I was inspired to watch from Mile 20 at the corner of Comm. Ave and Center Street. Our team trainer, Domenick D'Amico moved out of state but came back to watch the Marathon. He knew where we would be and lo and behold, comes to our camp out spot complete with canvas chairs and a picnic lunch. He told me that he had to park near someone's driveway who came out of their house to ask him to move his car since she was having guests to watch the Marathon. She said that she could never run - let alone a Marathon. At which point he shared my story with her and he proudly stated that he was my trainer. She said, "oh my goodness I saw that on the news yesterday". So perhaps this woman who does not believe that she can be active or athletic will have second thoughts after seeing a polio and post polio survivor on the news in the Sports segment of the program - a woman who never pursued athletics or believed she could be physically active and she crossed the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon.
For more information about my journey, watch my You Tube channel
To order and pre order copies of my books of inspirational poetry, visit New World Greeting Cards And while you are there, be sure to contact me about creating an original poem for Mothers Day (May 9), graduations and all of those wonderful celebrations that are happening this Spring and Summer.
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