This Week's Mission Moment
March is National Traumatic Brain Injury Month and for the past 28 years, our South Shore YMCA member, Mark Garrity, has been living with a traumatic brain injury.
In 1995, Mark was crossing the street when he was hit by a distracted driver. The accident left him in a three-month long coma with a 10% chance of survival. When he awoke, Mark had to relearn basic functions of living, and now relies on a wheelchair to get around.
For years, Mark has met twice a week at our Y with personal trainer Pete Chuilli to build strength and stay active. Mark's sister, Patty Garrity, lovingly drives him each week to the Y, where Pete guides Mark through a rigorous functional workout including boxing and a bit of basketball. Patty knew that Pete was the perfect fit for Mark when she saw how experienced and patient he was. "They just clicked," she said.
To Patty, keeping Mark walking with the assistance of the Y's parallel bars is critical. "He simply cannot forget how to walk," says Patty. "Those parallel bars are so important to his ongoing recovery. We'll keep working at this and doing this forever."
"Mark cannot get here on his own, he cannot do these things on his own," says Patty. "He relies on others to help him be his best. I have often worried if Mark would ever return to living a full happy life, and today, he is doing that here."
March is National Traumatic Brain Injury Month, and Patty takes this time each year to implore everyone to put down cell phones and prevent distracted driving. "Mark was a pedestrian crossing the street when he was hit by a vehicle. It was pure distraction. By telling Mark's story, if it can just remind somebody to pay attention while driving."
The South Shore YMCA Partnership Program is a non-clinical adaptive fitness program that pairs staff and volunteers with members who have physical disabilities, assisting them as needed so that they may enjoy more of what the Y has to offer, including swimming, exercising on specialized equipment, playing sports or enjoying recreational activities. The Y welcomes volunteers to contact our Health & Wellness teams to get involved.
Please enjoy this video to learn more about Mark's story.
