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 Mary
McGee, a resident of Waddington, N.Y. and former
advertising manager for the St. Lawrence County
Newspaper group recently received some good news
from the Travis Roy Foundation of Boston. She
was granted $6,500 enabling her to purchase a new
wheelchair. This November will mark five years
since her horrific accident during a snow squall
which rendered her a quadriplegic. Mary had been
improperly fitted with a pediatric wheelchair
in 1998 which caused her undue neck and shoulder
pain. Her new wheelchair has given Mary the proper
spinal alignment which has relieved the pressure
in her neck and shoulders. Mary Sue Foster, owner
of Harris Medical in Potsdam, N.Y. through her
expertise and patience has outfitted Mary with
numerous appliances which has made her more comfortable
and pain-free.
Although Mary and Mike had vaguely heard about
Travis Roy they weren’t familiar with
the whole story. Travis Roy’s life was forever
altered in a strange twist of fate when in
1995 during the first eleven seconds of his first
collegiate hockey game at Boston University
he was checked into the boards. Now a
quadriplegic, with limited mobility in his
right arm only, Travis graduated from Boston University
and continues to travel throughout the United
States advocating insurance reform and stem cell
research to help find a cure for spinal cord
injuries and other nerve related diseases.
Travis Roy penned the book “Eleven Seconds”
in 1998 with Sports Illustrated author E.M.
Swift to give his account of the tragic accident
and its aftermath. Since its inception
in 1997, the Travis Roy Foundation has given over
$500,000 to 95 individuals with
spinal cord injuries in 32 states and two Canadian
provinces and in addition has earmarked
another $250,000 for research to find a cure.
According to Brenda Taylor, (formerly
of Saranac Lake) administrator for the foundation
through the Palmer and Dodge
law firm out of Boston, the life-blood of the
Travis Roy Foundation has been the generosity
of individuals, corporations and foundations across
North America. One person
can make a difference and Travis and his foundation
are doing just that.
The Foundation focuses on providing modified vans,
wheelchairs, computers, ramps, shower
chairs, and other adaptive equipment and funding
for research. Travis Roy and the Foundation's
six trustees receive no compensation. Annual expenses
are limited to auditing and incidental
costs. Thus, over 99% of every dollar donated
goes to the Foundation’s charitable
purposes.
A group in Rochester,
NY is preparing to raise money
for the Travis Roy Foundation on a grander scale. Chairman Steve Skrubis,
a former minor league goaltender in the Hartford
Whalers' organization who hails from
Montreal, held a successful fundraiser
with the NHL's Buffalo Sabres this past March. His
fundraising efforts
during the past five years have culminated in
nearly $80,000. Steve is the past National
Chairman for HOPAC (Hockey Players Against Cancer).
Since Mary’s accident she has realized that
people shouldn’t take for granted the little
things.
“I can’t make my children’s lunches,
hug my children or walk them to the bus stop
but then again I try not to focus on that aspect
of my life. Although this accident was
unfortunate I feel very lucky that I have two
beautiful children, Sean and Meghan, a
wonderful husband, Mike, and a very supportive
family. When the accident happened my
brother Roger, who is my guardian angel, took
10 weeks off from his job to sit by my
bedside day and night. The community has been
so wonderfully supportive of me and
my family. Due to the efforts of hundreds of people
throughout the community monies
were raised through bowling tournaments, car washes,
bake sales, and bottle drives.
We were able to purchase a van and upgrade and
renovate our home to make me more
mobile. More funds were raised due to an organized
benefit jamboree while I was in
Rochester’s Strong Memorial Hospital. I was
the subject of a new song ‘Sweet Mary McGee’
written by Donna Miller and produced by Jimmy
Phillips.” (It is noteworthy to mention
that the Rochester fundraisers
also benefit Strong Memorial through an annual
grant from the Travis
Roy Foundation.)
Mary tries to keep her sense of humor since she
has a reputation to uphold. She was elected class
clown of her 1978 Madrid-Waddington graduating
class. Frequently she still tries to be a
prankster and plays practical jokes on people.
“The first two years are the toughest…adjusting to
new challenges and not taking life for granted. I
have my good days and bad days but many others are
less fortunate than myself.” She receives physical
therapy twice a week and occupational sessions once a week. Mary is monitored
by three nurses round the clock who administer
to her every need. Mary, a 42 year-old
Northern New York native, remains an inspiration
to everyone through her indomitable
courage and spirit. She would like to become a
mentor to help other people afflicted
with spinal cord injuries by giving them guidance
and inspiration.
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