Connecting the Dots Mission Possible: The Talking Information Center

...Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well worn path; and that will make all the difference."-Steve Jobs

"As it turns out, the only job we have available right now is with VIST. The mental health walk in coordinator job just got filled," the assistant chief of social work Jim Blair told me after my interview at the VA Outpatient Clinic in November 1988.

"But I have no experience working with people who are visually impaired," I replied.

"We'll train you," Jim said.

My favorite job in my social worker career was as the Visual Impairment Services Team Coordinator at the VA. I could use my marketing/public relations background with my masters degree in social work. My veterans taught me and I supported them in their adjustment to vision loss. We took field trips together and they opened my eyes to what it means to live life with strength and courage coping with the loss of the gift of sight.

Part of my job in helping veterans cope with vision loss was to make referrals to community resources that would support them to feel as independent and empowered as they could.

The Talking Information Center's mission is to broadcast information to inspire, empower and motivate the print impaired community. It was a way for my veterans to have access to newspapers, periodicals, consumer information and a wide range of programming through a radio that only required an on/off and volume button.

Fast forward to May 5, 2014 when through a friend of a friend's Facebook feed I discover that a visually impaired runner qualifies for Boston!

Randy Pierce went on to be a guest on The Talking Information Center's Mission Possible Show. Randy's work supports the New Hampshire Association for the Blind and Guiding Eyes for the Blind. I tweeted about his interview.

TIC reached out to me and asked if I would like to be a guest on Mission Possible.

On Monday, I took a tour of the agency that had made a tremendous difference in the lives of so many of my veterans. Sarah and John shared with me that a listener survey indicated that one of their favorite programs was the reading of the supermarket circulars each week so they could express their preferences to their significant others of what they would like to buy on sale each week. It's the little things in life that can make such a difference between feeling victimized by life's circumstances and feeling empowered to manage whatever life may set before us.

Sarah had done her research and posed questions that would allow me to share my journey and my message of healing, hope and possibility with ease.

She had covered the 2014 Boston Marathon for TIC and met members of Team With a Vision of Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. She mentioned on air and off how inspiring it is to watch runners cross the finish line of the Boston Marathon. I could see that a spark was lit within her. She knew that if I had the courage and fortitude to run the Boston Marathon, so could she.

Coincidentally, I worked closely with the Mass Association for the Blind when I worked at the VA only it was called Vision Foundation at the time. One of my dear sweet veterans was a volunteer there for many, many years.

I am now connected with visually impaired athletes on Facebook and in real life.

I am thrilled to be going to Randy's Peak Potential Gala on 11/22.

It's beautiful to watch the dots connect as the beautiful tapestry of our lives is revealed.

You can listen to the podcast of my interview on Sound Cloud Mission Possible - Mary McManus.

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.

A Visually Impaired Runner's Quest to Catch the Unicorn and Qualify for Boston

"Achieve a vision beyond your sight." The motto of 2020 Vision Quest

"Believe in your possibility and then find a way to get there." - Randy Pierce

The symbol of the Boston Marathon is the unicorn:



In stories and myths about unicorns they are strong, fast, and hard to catch; an appropriate image for the Boston Marathon especially for those trying to qualify for Boston.

But can you imagine trying to qualify for Boston without your sight trusting in a sighted Guide to help you navigate your way through 26.2 miles in under 5 hours? And to take on this challenge 8 years after coming out of a wheelchair having been wheelchair bound for over 2 years? And to have met your Guide only once in a 10 mile run before you ran the marathon to try to qualify for Boston? That's just what Randy Pierce did at the Cox Providence Marathon yesterday.

On Saturday, I saw this post from one of my Facebook friends, Thor Kirleis, who ran his 100th marathon at the 118th Boston Marathon on 4/21/14:

Friends, on Sunday I will be teaming with Randy as his Guide in a special quest to get him a Boston Qualifier at the Providence Marathon. Although I feel confident in our teamwork, that we will do what we can to meet the goal, please send both of us positive energy, because this will not be easy for either of us, especially in the later miles.

Randy can use the good vibes, as this is his first marathon since going blind -- it is not easy to train properly when visually impaired since finding guides for training runs is very difficult. Although his longest run to date was only 15 miles, he is very strong from having recently completed hiking all 48 of the 4000 foot mountains in the Whites. Plus, he was very comfortable on our 10 mile jaunt last week, talking the entire way, and I feel we could double that before the going gets too hard, which by then will be 20 miles in.

I will need your energy too, as being a Guide requires 100% heightened awareness at all times and is mentally draining; plus, having one hand on a tether for so long is akin to running with one hand behind your back, like a car moving along with a bad piston.

I'll be sure to report back on Sunday!

I had no idea what Randy's back story was. Having worked with the visually impaired veterans when I was a social worker at the VA, I had a deep appreciation for the challenge that Randy and Thor were taking on and I joined my energies to so many on Facebook and in Randy and Thor's communities to set an intention for a safe run and for the ever elusive BQ.

2020 Vision Quest posted:
We want to give a special shout out to Thor Kirleis who will be Randy’s Guide at Sunday’s Cox Providence Marathon by Cox Providence Rhode Races. Thor and Randy met through a blind runners’ group here on Facebook, had a great shakedown run last weekend, and are ready and excited for Sunday's big day. Thor recently finished the Boston Marathon (for the 8th year in a row!), marking his 100th marathon! What an accomplishment!

Best of luck to Randy and Thor as they go after that Boston Marathon qualifying time!

And on Sunday, Thor posted:
Randy and I got him his Boston Qualifier with plenty of time to spare. Thanks everyone for your encouragement and support. We felt it!

Here they are at mile 9. I was deeply moved when I saw this photo. Without having read the back story and having only had a cursory read of Thor's post the Saturday before (see below), I could feel their special bond and the energy, the love and intention that flowed between them as they joined together for a common goal:



As I was doing research for today's blog, I discovered Randy's back story.

Randy Pierce's story will give you goosebumps and chills!



From 2020 Vision Quest:

It began with Randy Pierce and his Guide Dog, Quinn, climbing all 48 of the rugged 4000+ foot peaks in the New Hampshire White Mountains. Using these and other adventures to raise awareness, the core mission will continue as Randy will work to inspire others to set their own visions and help them achieve their goals through outreach, education and support.
Our mission:
2020 Vision Quest inspires people to reach beyond adversity and achieve their highest goals -- personal, professional, and philanthropic. We believe in leading by example, in climbing the highest peaks, and in sharing our successes and challenges with each other. Funds raised through these endeavors will be given to two remarkable organizations which benefit the visually impaired community: Guiding Eyes for the Blind, and the New Hampshire Association for the Blind.

It's not just what Randy does, but how he does it. He has a humble heart as expressed in his after BQ Facebook post in response to my post, "Run the race set before you with endurance."

Endurance was challenged pretty seriously on my end. Both from the stamina and from the pain the buildup by later in the race. Fortunately I had the perfect guy to make today a success

to which I replied:
And you dug deep Randy to achieve your goal. Yes you did have the perfect guy to make today a success and I believe Thor would agree - you had yourself because although Thor was there to cheer you on, support and guide you, it was ultimately your choice to move beyond the pain with determination and courage to finish the race that you chose to run!

Thor agreed with me:
Amen, Mary. Amen. Randy, brother, you kicked ass!

And as for Thor?

He came back from an injury that severed the major nerve in his left leg. He was told he might never walk again nonetheless run again. As he said to me in a Facebook chat:

The 100 marathons, for the most part, came out of that severed nerve injury. I never thought I would be able to walk normally again, let alone run another step. While I was still down, I made a promise to myself that if I ever got back to running, I would run at least a mile a day, each and every day, to celebration the simple fact that I can run. That was 11 years ago. I have held up that promise.... One of the reasons I do what I do is because I thoroughly believe that life is just too damn awesome to sit on the sidelines for. I learned through lots of bumps and bruises that our dreams and goals, even those so lofty to be thought of as untouchable, are limited by our own fear of failure. To lift that blanket, and there are endless possibilities.

He had this to say in a note he posted on Facebook, 4/27/14

As for me and Randy, we have a mutual respect for each other that I know will only make teamwork easy. I am here for one reason -- to help Randy be his best, get in a Boston Qualifier, and make sure we both have fun. I want to not only Guide him, but I also want to paint the picture that is the true experience of Randy achieving yet another goal toward 2020 Vision Quest.

Yesterday, at the Cox Providence Marathon, Thor helped to lead the way for Randy to achieve what few are able to achieve. He helped to make possible what Randy believed was a possibility. He caught the Unicorn and qualified for Boston 2015!