Mom to run Boston Marathon blindfolded to inspire her blind son
GateHouse News Service, Apr 13, 2009
By Liz Fuller
Hingham, Mass. — When Hingham resident Leslie Nordin participated in the Vision 5K two years ago, she had no idea what sort of impact the race would have on her. But after running 3.1 miles blindfolded, Nordin said the experience was “life changing”. The Vision 5K is a charity race that allows sighted runners to understand what it is like to be blind or visually impaired, by challenging each runner to run blindfolded, along with a sighted guide. Nordin felt very strongly about the challenge because her 4-year-old son, Sawyer, is blind.
“It was so enlightening on all levels,” she said. “Not only as a parent of a blind child, but for myself as well.”
Now Nordin is taking on a new challenge: running the Boston Marathon blindfolded. Nordin will be running to raise money for the Perkins School for the Blind, where Sawyer attends school five days per week. It is also the institute made famous by one of its students, Helen Keller, and her teacher, Ann Sullivan.
“This is his second year there,” Nordin said. “His progress is slow but the services there are so specialized. In terms of learning, pieces are put together to comprehend content and we’re so grateful to the school for all that they are doing to help Sawyer.”
Nordin is running blindfolded to inspire Sawyer. “By completing this race, I hope to inspire Sawyer to meet the challenges he faces each and every day, and to raise funds to support the institution that gives him the tools to do so,” she said. “Because of Perkins, I know that Sawyer is getting the education and training he needs to reach the goals he will set for himself throughout his life.”
Nordin said that she and her husband, Dayton, try not to allow Sawyer’s blindness to limit the family’s experiences. “He can try anything,” she said. “We do what other families do. Sawyer has less comprehension about the situation than an older child might. His fears are expected, so things take more time. The difference is challenging him, making him feel safe and secure. He depends on predictability and routine.”
Nordin wanted to run the marathon as a way to demonstrate further to Sawyer that a person can do anything he sets out to do. “We always set high expectations for him. We never lower the bar. The opportunity to inspire him is invaluable. It is so personal to me and he is my motivation.”
Nordin will run the marathon assisted by three sighted guides: her husband, Dayton, and two friends, Angie Hilsabeck and Courtney Monnich, both from Hingham. The group will split the race into segments to take turns assisting Nordin. Training so far has consisted of weekly meetings with Hilsabeck, running blindfolded.
“My focus has been on stamina,” Nordin said. “I learned how to get into a rhythm with her and it all has fallen into place. But it’s a big difference to run blindfolded for 25 minutes for the Vision 5K as opposed to four hours for a marathon!” Nordin said she has run marathons in the past but had put that passion “on the back burner” in order to focus more on her family, which also includes daughter Riley.
The minimum monetary goal that Perkins has asked each of its Boston Marathon Team Members to raise is $3,000, but Nordin has far surpassed that amount. Her goal is $25,000 and she is currently just over the $20,000 mark. By sponsoring Nordin on her run on April 20th, donors would be helping to ensure that Perkins continues to provide invaluable services to Sawyer and so many other individuals who are blind or visually impaired. For more information on how to help support this important cause, visit Nordin’s marathon web site: http://support.perkins.org/goto/lnordin.
While Nordin will be challenged by running 26 miles without being able to see the course, she said the experience could never make her fully understand what being blind is really like.
“I felt so empowered for Sawyer when I ran the Blindfold Challenge,” she said. “I’m doing this to inspire others, to bring awareness to others. I strongly believe that the message should focus on what those who are blind or visually impaired can do versus what they can’t do.” And with the Perkins School as a sponsor of this year’s marathon, Nordin saw that as a sign. “What better context for charity?”
Hingham Journal
Copyright © 2009 GateHouse Media, Inc. Some Rights Reserved.
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