Outpouring of support, hope for Missy
By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor
The fourth annual Missy Flynn Challenge is set for Sunday, Aug. 9. It’s a running, biking and swimming fundraiser aimed at gathering funds used to help in the recovery effort of the 50-year-old Newtown resident who suffered a brain injury more than three years ago.
For those of you not familiar with the name Missy Flynn, she was once an area triathlete who competed in ironman triathlons including the Ironman World Championship that takes place annually in Hawaii. That’s a 2 1/2 mile swim followed by a 112-mile bike ride, capped off with a 26.2-mile running marathon.
But that was before December 2005. Two days before Christmas, Flynn suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm that initially rendered her bound to a wheelchair and unable to speak. Family and friends, especially significant other Brian Wong, had a difficult time seeing someone they remembered as bursting with energy sitting there almost lifeless.
That is how Flynn remained for over six months after the injury. It took her eight months before she could return home from the hospital and rehabilitation center.
There was a time when she worked for the Doylestown Intelligencer doing promotion work and marketing. After that, she held a similar post for the New Jersey Press Association. In between, she found time to run a jewelry business on the side and work out—running, biking and swimming were routine parts of Flynn’s day.
Now, it takes her three hours to get out the door in the morning.
“What we do and what we have to do take up quite a large part of the day,” said Wong, matter-of-factly.
And though she’s learned to speak once again, Flynn requires constant attention, care that she gets from Wong, who revamped his entire life to accommodate Missy.
Now, remarkably, Flynn is able to speak out loud and can stand, things she could not do in 2008. She’s also eating better and has regained much of the weight she lost after the injury.
“I’m always happy with the progress she makes because I know there’s a chance there’s not going to be any more,” said Wong.
More recently, Missy started riding an exercise bike. She and Brian have talked about the possibility of cycling outdoors and riding a tandem bike together. Still, that’s off in the distance and not something either of them know is doable.
Through it all, the pair have shown remarkable resilience coupled together with tremendous patience. While Brian is encouraged at Missy’s recent progress, he seems willing to accept whatever cards he and Flynn are dealt.
“This type of injury doesn’t lend itself to many breakthroughs,” said Wong. “You don’t get too many aha moments.”
The couple is grateful to members of the community who have came through in support of the care that Missy requires, which is round the clock. While Brian took on all of that for the first two-and-a-half years, he’s relented more recently and allowed a home health care aid to come into the couple’s home four times a week.
The funds used to pay for the nurse come from the moneys raised by many in the community. To date, that figure is up over $55,000 but it’s more than just the money.
Brian says some folks have been bringing cooked meals to the couple’s home for over three years now. That helps, says Wong, one—because he’s admittedly not the greatest cook and two—it gives him more time to spend with Missy.
“It’s things like that that make it possible for Missy to be home,” said Brian.
Wong knows that some people might choose to put someone like Missy in a nursing home. He doesn’t mince words on the topic.
“She doesn’t need to be in a nursing home, she doesn’t deserve to be in a nursing home and I don’t want her in one,” he says firmly.
“She won’t get the help that she needs there anyway.”
Support for Flynn’s recovery effort has come from all corners of the community--people like Courier Times sports writer Wayne Fish and former Bucks County Road Runners (BCRR) president Bob Curci. The pair have brought the BCRR into the mix. Now the runners organization directs the running part of the Challenge.
Newtown Bike Shop owner Harry Betz gets busy bringing the biking world and organizations like the Central Bucks Bike Club into the fold. The Newtown Athletic Club (NAC) helps by donating its facilities in the form of pool time for the swimming segment of the Challenge and also the space needed to conduct an auction and hold the award ceremony after the event is finished.
Though she's since moved away, Mary Johnson comes back to help organize the swim portion of the Challenge. Gwen Smith brings it all together—the Newtown physical therapist coordinates all the fundraising efforts for the couple.
Wong is overwhelmed by the strength of the support.
“The most amazing thing is I didn’t ask,” said Brian. “They do it on their own because they know we need the help.”
The dramatic changes in Missy described by those who don’t see the former triathlete everyday are not as extraordinary to Wong. He says he foresaw her being able to get back onto a bicycle, even if it is a standing bike. One suspects it’s much like a mother who doesn’t notice the changes in her own baby as much as friends and relatives do—it’s hard to see transformations in someone you never take your eyes off of.
"The changes I see in her are good things but they’re much more subtle to me,” he says.
What Wong does notice is that between January and the present time, Missy is laughing more when she’s watching television or speaking with friends on the phone, all of which is brand new behavior in the post-brain injury world of Flynn.
“It’s a little thing but it’s a big thing,” said Wong.
“It lets me know that she’s enjoying something whereas before I wouldn’t know one way or the other.”
When Missy started speaking in a full voice in January, Brian made sure one of the first things she did was call people to let them know.
“I knew everyone would be stunned and happy to get a call from Missy,” he says.
Flynn still has a long way to go or so the hope goes. The longest distance she can walk is 40 to 50 feet, at most. But for the first time, she’s able to do things while standing on her feet—something she couldn’t do this time last year.
“The biggest thing for me is that she is still making progress," said Brian. "It means she still has somewhere to go.”
***
Marking Missy’s past performance in the triathletic world, the Challenge is a swimming, biking and running fundraiser.
There are four rides this year starting at 10 miles and capping off at fifty. The entry fee is $20. ($25 after July 24). The ride begins at the NAC, located at the Newtown Bypass and Penn’s Trail. Riders can register between 7 and 10 a.m.
The swimming competition (400- 800 meters) starts at 6 a.m. The 5K run starts at 8:30 a.m. in front of the NAC.
For more information, contact the Newtown Bike Shop at (215) 968-3200 or visit online at www.newtownbike.com/to/missyflynn.
Sports Editor
The fourth annual Missy Flynn Challenge is set for Sunday, Aug. 9. It’s a running, biking and swimming fundraiser aimed at gathering funds used to help in the recovery effort of the 50-year-old Newtown resident who suffered a brain injury more than three years ago.
For those of you not familiar with the name Missy Flynn, she was once an area triathlete who competed in ironman triathlons including the Ironman World Championship that takes place annually in Hawaii. That’s a 2 1/2 mile swim followed by a 112-mile bike ride, capped off with a 26.2-mile running marathon.
But that was before December 2005. Two days before Christmas, Flynn suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm that initially rendered her bound to a wheelchair and unable to speak. Family and friends, especially significant other Brian Wong, had a difficult time seeing someone they remembered as bursting with energy sitting there almost lifeless.
That is how Flynn remained for over six months after the injury. It took her eight months before she could return home from the hospital and rehabilitation center.
There was a time when she worked for the Doylestown Intelligencer doing promotion work and marketing. After that, she held a similar post for the New Jersey Press Association. In between, she found time to run a jewelry business on the side and work out—running, biking and swimming were routine parts of Flynn’s day.
Now, it takes her three hours to get out the door in the morning.
“What we do and what we have to do take up quite a large part of the day,” said Wong, matter-of-factly.
And though she’s learned to speak once again, Flynn requires constant attention, care that she gets from Wong, who revamped his entire life to accommodate Missy.
Now, remarkably, Flynn is able to speak out loud and can stand, things she could not do in 2008. She’s also eating better and has regained much of the weight she lost after the injury.
“I’m always happy with the progress she makes because I know there’s a chance there’s not going to be any more,” said Wong.
More recently, Missy started riding an exercise bike. She and Brian have talked about the possibility of cycling outdoors and riding a tandem bike together. Still, that’s off in the distance and not something either of them know is doable.
Through it all, the pair have shown remarkable resilience coupled together with tremendous patience. While Brian is encouraged at Missy’s recent progress, he seems willing to accept whatever cards he and Flynn are dealt.
“This type of injury doesn’t lend itself to many breakthroughs,” said Wong. “You don’t get too many aha moments.”
The couple is grateful to members of the community who have came through in support of the care that Missy requires, which is round the clock. While Brian took on all of that for the first two-and-a-half years, he’s relented more recently and allowed a home health care aid to come into the couple’s home four times a week.
The funds used to pay for the nurse come from the moneys raised by many in the community. To date, that figure is up over $55,000 but it’s more than just the money.
Brian says some folks have been bringing cooked meals to the couple’s home for over three years now. That helps, says Wong, one—because he’s admittedly not the greatest cook and two—it gives him more time to spend with Missy.
“It’s things like that that make it possible for Missy to be home,” said Brian.
Wong knows that some people might choose to put someone like Missy in a nursing home. He doesn’t mince words on the topic.
“She doesn’t need to be in a nursing home, she doesn’t deserve to be in a nursing home and I don’t want her in one,” he says firmly.
“She won’t get the help that she needs there anyway.”
Support for Flynn’s recovery effort has come from all corners of the community--people like Courier Times sports writer Wayne Fish and former Bucks County Road Runners (BCRR) president Bob Curci. The pair have brought the BCRR into the mix. Now the runners organization directs the running part of the Challenge.
Newtown Bike Shop owner Harry Betz gets busy bringing the biking world and organizations like the Central Bucks Bike Club into the fold. The Newtown Athletic Club (NAC) helps by donating its facilities in the form of pool time for the swimming segment of the Challenge and also the space needed to conduct an auction and hold the award ceremony after the event is finished.
Though she's since moved away, Mary Johnson comes back to help organize the swim portion of the Challenge. Gwen Smith brings it all together—the Newtown physical therapist coordinates all the fundraising efforts for the couple.
Wong is overwhelmed by the strength of the support.
“The most amazing thing is I didn’t ask,” said Brian. “They do it on their own because they know we need the help.”
The dramatic changes in Missy described by those who don’t see the former triathlete everyday are not as extraordinary to Wong. He says he foresaw her being able to get back onto a bicycle, even if it is a standing bike. One suspects it’s much like a mother who doesn’t notice the changes in her own baby as much as friends and relatives do—it’s hard to see transformations in someone you never take your eyes off of.
"The changes I see in her are good things but they’re much more subtle to me,” he says.
What Wong does notice is that between January and the present time, Missy is laughing more when she’s watching television or speaking with friends on the phone, all of which is brand new behavior in the post-brain injury world of Flynn.
“It’s a little thing but it’s a big thing,” said Wong.
“It lets me know that she’s enjoying something whereas before I wouldn’t know one way or the other.”
When Missy started speaking in a full voice in January, Brian made sure one of the first things she did was call people to let them know.
“I knew everyone would be stunned and happy to get a call from Missy,” he says.
Flynn still has a long way to go or so the hope goes. The longest distance she can walk is 40 to 50 feet, at most. But for the first time, she’s able to do things while standing on her feet—something she couldn’t do this time last year.
“The biggest thing for me is that she is still making progress," said Brian. "It means she still has somewhere to go.”
***
Marking Missy’s past performance in the triathletic world, the Challenge is a swimming, biking and running fundraiser.
There are four rides this year starting at 10 miles and capping off at fifty. The entry fee is $20. ($25 after July 24). The ride begins at the NAC, located at the Newtown Bypass and Penn’s Trail. Riders can register between 7 and 10 a.m.
The swimming competition (400- 800 meters) starts at 6 a.m. The 5K run starts at 8:30 a.m. in front of the NAC.
For more information, contact the Newtown Bike Shop at (215) 968-3200 or visit online at www.newtownbike.com/to/missyflynn.
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