Mary and Jon

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“I like to travel leisurely,” said Emily over pasta, her Scottish features shining bright. The hot sun uphill in the Andes didn’t make her tan, but she had more freckles on her face.
I like to travel leisurely as well. Even though it would’ve been nice to see the south side of Cusco, the sacred valley in Ollantaytambo, the Pisac ruins, Q’enko and Lake Titicaca, we needed some time to relax, check the internet and have some more time in Cusco. Financially, it was all we could handle, too.
Mary and Jon showed no signs of wearing thin, however. In February they’re going to Madagascar. For their honeymoon 12 years ago they went to Greece and Southern Italy. On her 50th birthday, Mary climbed Kilimanjaro. They’ve been to Guatemala three times and recently checked out Thailand. Oh, and while they were in Peru, they said the Sacred Valley and went to Pisca to see the Sunday market.
While the two doctors from Holland made the trip look easy, Mary was on the opposite end at times looking like she was near death. On day two—the hardest day of the hike—Mary had a fever and the runs. That day she didn’t look like a woman who conquered Kilimanjaro less than 10 years ago. Still, she pulled through, and Jon was there to support and encourage.
Supporting and encouraging are what Mary does best. She was a teacher and now she’s the CEO and Founder of STRIDE Adaptive Sports in Rensselaer, New York. The idea started back in 1986 when she was doing research studies as an adaptive physical education teacher. STRIDE offers skiing to children with disabilities to increase self-esteem. It works.
Recently she’s been working with disabled war veterans through the Wounded Warrior program. Mary is utterly amazed by the spirits of these young men: their tenacity, their hope, morale and liveliness. She says it makes her feel more alive, more fortunate.
Mary says those with disabilities are able to do anything these days with technology; their new legs and arms are even better than their old ones. By 2012, she hopes to see some with disabilities participate in the Olympics. Her face gelled with enthusiasm as she talked about this at dinner in Winaywayna, where we sat in actual chairs in a real restaurant instead of sitting on red plastic stools inside a tent. Beyond her compassion and beyond the cervezas, I saw her love and her sacrifice. This is her life and she enjoys every minute of it.

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Photos

Mary and Jon
Those who travel together, stay together