Mom Runs Boston Marathon Blindfolded

by Jyl Johnson Pattee on July 4th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Sometimes you hear a story about someone, and you are so bowled over by their character, their strength, their ability to transcend the seemingly impossible - you simply must share the inspiration with others.

This is one of those times.

A bloggy friend of mine, Jen, forwarded me a post she had done on her friend Leslie Nordin. I read the post and wept.

This past April, Leslie did something magnificent.

She ran the Boston Marathon.

Blindfolded.

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She did it to prove something to her young son, Sawyer. She wanted to prove that people who are blind - like Sawyer - can achieve whatever they aspire to.

Sawyer was born blind. From day one, Leslie has been his teacher, his coach, his speech pathologist, his occupational therapist. But more than anything else - she believes in setting high expectations for her son and teaching him to know, deep in his heart, that he can accomplish anything.

In addition to inspiring her son, Leslie was also raising money for the institution that is giving Sawyer all the tools he needs to succeed in life - the Perkins School for the Blind. Founded in 1829, Perkins is also where Helen Keller attended. Leslie explains her motivation and appreciation for Perkins here.

According to Jen, Leslie finished the race in an amazing 4 hours and 17 minutes - something I promise I couldn't do even without a blindfold.

This is a YouTube Video done by someone close to Leslie.

I dare you - just try not to cry.

Now, go hug your kids and promise to teach by example the way Leslie is doing every day.

About the Author: Danielle Smith is a mommy to two smart and sassy small people, as well as the founder and primary author of ExtraordinaryMommy.com. You can catch her hosting a brand new live show, The Spin Cycle, on MomTV.com every Wednesday at 9pmEST. She also hosts a show on Blog Talk Radio and contributes to WhyMomsMatter. Danielle is thrilled to be contributing to MomItForward as ‘giving back’ has always been an important part of who she is and what she hopes to teach her children

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Jyl Johnson Pattee

An active part of the Mom It Forward team, Jyl primarily writes about parenting, social good, and all things travel related. In a past life, Jyl was an award-winning copywriter and designer of corporate training programs for Fortune 100 companies. Offline, Jyl is married to @TroyPattee; a mom to two teen boys and a beagle named #Hashtag; loves large amounts of cheese, dancing, and traveling; and lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Topping her bucket list is the goal to visit 50 countries by the time she's 50.