Mariann Vargas Inspires Us to Be Happy and to Be Brave Even with Life’s Challenges
Stories of Greatness™ Series
It was a sunny spring afternoon when I arrived at the Lone Peak High School track in Highland, Utah. The April sky was blue and the spring sun covered the entire track that surrounded the football field. I was waiting for the arrival of one of my heros, Mariann Vargas. Mariann was accompanied by her Dad, Javier and younger brother, Anderson.
Challenge of Spina Bifida
Mariann Vargas was born with Spina Bifida. Spina Bifida is a birth defect that occurs when the spine and spinal cord don’t form properly. This birth defect has caused Mariann to grow up without proper function of her legs.
Be Happy, Be Brave
As you will soon learn, Spina Bifida has not stopped Mariann from achieving greatness in her life and she is inspiring others to do the same. Mariann told me, “I might have Spina Bifida, but that doesn’t stop me from using the rest of my body to live a happy and fulfilled life. Each of us must be brave and show others we have the courage to overcome the challenges of life and as we take that approach we give others hope. And hope unlocks happiness during our darkest days .”
I knew I was in for an inspiring run around the track that spring afternoon.
Riding a Bike at Three Years Old
Javier, Mariann’s Dad, unloaded the hand pedal bike from the back of their SUV and we quickly headed to the track to do laps. Mariann’s smile and determination started to show as she started to pedal her bike with her hands. Very quickly Mariann started to gain speed around the track.
To successfully move her hand pedal bike forward, she has to use her hands to move, turn, and brake. It’s inspiring to watch her move the bike forward with speed and accuracy. Mariann has spent hundreds of hours practicing with her hand pedal bike to make it look easy.
Mariann started to ride a bike (tricycle bike) when she was 3 years old. Javier later told me, “She became very good, very quickly at riding the bike. I love racing road and mountain bikes, so watching Mariann become very good on a bike was a proud moment for me as a Dad. When we first started, I would tape her feet to the pedals to help Mariann use her muscles to move the bike forward. Before we knew it, she was riding the bike all over the neighborhood.”
I watched as Javier road next to Mariann on the track. I could see the happiness on his face as he shared his passion with his daughter. This was a sight of pure happiness and bliss—the essence of life. In this moment, you could see that they both felt happy and alive.
Bike Racing for Good
I watched as Mariann used her strong arms to power, control, and maneuver her bike forward at a fast pace around the track. Her current bike was donated to her from Shriners Hospital. She has gotten so good at riding her bike that she has started doing races for charitable causes. Mariann and Javier compete in the annual Summit Challenge, a 16 mile bike race in the mountains of Park City, Utah, put on by the National Ability Center.
This year I got to be part of her team as she did the race on August 25, 2018. It was inspiring to watch her hand pedal her bike up and over the mountains and hills of Park City. I could see how her effort on the hand pedal bike was positively impacting the other riders on the course. You could feel the positive energy and vibes as everyone cheered Mariann to complete the race.
I asked her why she does the race? Her response, “I want to help inspire others who may have challenges to have the courage to move forward over their obstacles. This is not easy for me, but I know that if I keep moving, I will finish. And if other people are struggling, I know if they can just move forward, they can overcome their life challenges and finish their race—like me.”
“I want to help inspire others who may have challenges to have the courage to move forward over their obstacles. This is not easy for me, but I know that if I keep moving, I will finish. And if other people are struggling, I know if they can just move forward, they can overcome their life challenges and finish their race—like me. I would also tell people to never give up. ”
Passions: Dancing, Skiing, Horseback Riding, Shopping
Mariann has other passions she loves. She loves to dance, ski, horseback ride, and shop. In her local community, she has been recognized as someone who doesn’t let her disability stand in the way of her dreams. Mariann danced and performed at a benefit dance concert called “For Mariann—A Right to Dance Concert” at the SCERA Center for the Arts in Orem that was put on by the The Pointe Academy.
Creative Movement Class
Mariann helped inspire a Creative Movement Class at The Pointe Academy in her local community. Janene Schiffman, founder of The Pointe Academy, wanted to create a class at the dance school that encouraged regular students to participate in dance with special needs students.
This is just one of the many stories I have learned about how Mariann has been able to positively help those around her achieve greatness. She unleashes her greatness for good each day.
Dance Friends, True Friends
The girls at the dance studio became great friends of Mariann. Months later, Mariann was really sick in the hospital and her friends from the dance studio showed up to her hospital bed. Javier said this of the experience, “It was beautiful to see. These girls were an answer to our prayers. They gave Mariann hugs and kisses. They brought her balloons and cards. This made Mariann so happy and helped her recover from her sickness. They were angels to Mariann and it made a big difference.”
“It was beautiful to see. These girls were an answer to our prayers. They gave Mariann hugs and kisses. They brought her balloons and cards. This made Mariann so happy and helped her recover from her sickness. They were angels to Mariann and it made a big difference.”
We kept moving around the track at Lone Peak High School. The blue sky and the snow capped mountains in the background made for a beautiful day. Mariann continued to move her arms in a forward motion as we completed laps around the track.
Brother and Sister Unity
Anderson is Mariann’s younger brother. He was also at the track to help Mariann train on her bike. You could see the love and unity as they ran together under the blue sky. Anderson told me this, “Mariann has helped me so much in my life. She has helped me learn to be more kind to others. She has taught me to look for others to help each day. I love my sister.”
Talents Help Mariann Shine
There are seven principles of the Live Great Movement. Principle number one is talents. The goal of this principle is to spend time discovering and using your talents for good. I asked Mariann’s mom, Lisa, “What are some of Mariann’s talents?” Lisa quickly listed off the following talents or strengths. She said, “Mariann is awesome at service. She is outgoing and loves to help people in need. She is very giving. She always finds a way to give to others. She is also very good at expressing gratitude. She is very kind. She also has a photographic memory. These are just a few of the many talents of Mariann.”
““Mariann is awesome at service. She is outgoing and loves to help people in need. She is very giving. She always finds a way to give to others. She is also very good at expressing gratitude. She is very kind. She also has a photographic memory. These are just a few of the many talents of Mariann.””
It’s important for each us to discover our talents. Most people can list out their weaknesses faster than they can list out their strengths or talents. When we know our strengths like Mariann, we can really start to live life in full advantage and create a positive outlook on our future—just like Mariann.
Gratitude Is the Key to Difficult Days
The track training session with Mariann and her pedal bike was starting to wind down. Javier told me this important lesson on gratitude. He told me this, “Not all days are easy. There are some days where it’s very difficult and some days where Mariann is sad about being confined to a wheelchair.
One day, a sad day, Mariann talked to me about how she was discouraged that she could not use her legs. I listened to her just like any good father and then I told her to think about all the things she can do. We shifted our focus to gratitude. We talked about how she can see, talk, smell, and move her hands. Her eyes filled with tears. Mariann’s heart and outlook changed as she focused on the positive—on the gratitude.”
Being grateful for one thing each day is principle number seven of the Live Great Movement and research shows being grateful has a positive outcome on happiness and mental health.
Unleash Your Greatness
Greatness is not for a few or the outliers in this life. Each of us are born for greatness. Just like Mariann, we can find our talents, our strengths, and use them to help inspire others. As you unleash your greatness where you live, you’ll help others do the same. Your influence of goodness will spread through your community and will inspire other communities around the world to join together to solve many of the their most difficult problems. You are born for greatness.
Thank you Mariann. You inspire each of us to live a life of greatness, not matter the circumstance or challenge.
Do good, live great!
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Author/Pictures: Burke Alder