Achilles CT Chapter Blog - Achilles CT Chapter

An Unbreakable Bond: Rosita and Jackie’s Comeback Story

June 15, 2022

By Grace McGuire

Rosita Cascudo always shows up to an Achilles Connecticut race with a unique accessory. This includes her bright, patterned leggings and her ten pound oxygen tank backpack, but there has always been one thing, or rather person, she is never without. This is her longtime guide and friend Jackie Owens.

This dynamic duo was paired together in 2017, and they quickly built a friendship before racing together as athlete and guide.

“We had so much fun together and from the very first time that I met Rosie I said, man, this is going to be a good time,” Owens said about the shopping trip they went on before their first race.

Five years later, and the women are never apart during a race.

“I just absolutely fell for Rosita. She was so silly and had such a great attitude and worked so hard,” Owens, a special education teacher as well as an Achilles guide said. “So from then on, basically anytime she had a race that she really wanted to participate in, she would reach out through Achilles and if I didn’t have other plans, I would do it with her.”

The next couple years entailed many “adventures” with Rosita’s oxygen tank, as Rosita’s degenerative lung disorder complicated her participation in races. Her oxygen tank weighed a whopping 10 pounds, so Owens would carry it while they both chatted and strolled through their 5K’s. It got to the point that it took the pair two and a half hours to finish the last three mile local race they did before COVID-19 effectively shut them down in early 2020. This was their slowest time yet.

“She was so short of breath, we had to stop and just give her time to breathe several times, and so the race took a really long time,” Owens said. “By the time we got back almost everyone was gone or walking away, and so it was a little bit discouraging.”

It was in moments like these that Cascudo had special appreciation for her guide.

“I always feel that guilt about taking time from the guide and I kept telling her ‘Jackie, if you have to go, you can go. I can go on from here.’ And she said ‘Okay, okay,’ but she stayed until the last minute until I got to the car,” Cascudo said with a little smile.

Photo description: Rosita (pictured left) and Jackie (pictured right) with their medals after the 5K.

The pair parted during the COVID lockdown, but checked up on each other virtually. Rosita’s condition worsened, her 5K’s turning into walks around her backyard until she finally had a lung transplant in December 2020. It has been a long road to recovery, but it is “much better” now, especially as she no longer needs an oxygen tank–a fact she managed to keep secret from Owens. When Owens and Cascudo reunited for the first time since the start of the pandemic on Saturday, June 4 to race at the UCONN Health 5K, it came as quite a surprise.

“I didn’t see the tank and I was like ‘Where’s the oxygen?!’ and she was like ‘I had a transplant!’” Owens said, disbelief still written on her face.

Cascudo was more focused on the walk itself, though, as it was her second since the transplant. She “crushed” her goal she set for herself, beating her last race time by 35 minutes.

“It was a joy to go through the finish line and feel that relief,” Cascudo said. “It was a great time.”

The team already seems set on their next race, though, which will hopefully come later in June.

“This past weekend, well, it was good, it was good. I had to stop and rest, which is something that I need to master and go straight without stopping to rest, that’s one of my goals,” Cascudo said.

Owens, meanwhile, could not help gloating a little bit.

“It’s such a huge improvement and I felt like Rosita had more energy than at our last race,” Owens said. “It felt like a fresh start and I was so proud of her for taking that big step forward after such a big surgery and doing it in front of so many people.”

This powerful pair of women with 20 “small” years spanning between them are now collectively 10 pounds lighter and are ready to speed walk to victory.

Joe Stone of Stratford, Connecticut, says he is running in the Hope & Possibility races to show other trauma survivors how being socially and physically active after injury can enhance one's quality of life significantly.

Joe Stone: Inspiring and motivating other trauma survivors

June 20, 2019

Gearing up for the 4th annual Achilles Connecticut Hope & Possibility® races presented by Cigna, we’re talking to athletes and guides to share stories about who they are and what brought them to our Chapter. Enjoy!

Joe Stone is a multisport athlete and coach who began handcycling with Achilles Connecticut in 2018. In this interview, the Stratford resident shares the hope (and possibilities) he’s cultivated in his own life since his spinal cord injury, and explains how he continually strives to use those experiences to inspire and help others.

How did you get involved with Achilles Connecticut?

As a wheelchair rugby athlete I was looking for a physical activity to keep me in shape through my off season. My good friend and schoolmate Claudio Cabrera, who is an adaptive athlete handcyclist for Achilles, suggested I give it a try. He sent me [Connecticut Chapter President] Erin Spaulding’s contact info and she took me under her wing from there. I now race as many events as I possibly can with the continuous help of Achilles CT Chapter leaders, volunteers and guides.

What’s one thing that you’ve never done, but would like to try?

Skydiving!

If you had to describe yourself as an animal, which one would it be?

A lion, because I think of myself as a brave leader.

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

My wife’s Cool Bean Salad with tortilla chips…mmmmm!!!

What was your favorite subject in school and why?

Science. I love to research, experiment and understand how things work.

Who is your hero?

My daughter Heaven. Despite the tragedy and suffering she’s experienced in her short 14 years here on Earth, she has bounced back and become a resilient, empathic, and sweet young lady with the spirit of a true warrior!

Why are you running in the Hope & Possibility® races?

To show other trauma survivors how being socially and physically active after injury can enhance one’s quality of life significantly.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I am truly blessed to have been given so many opportunities to grow and find out who I was always meant to be since becoming a quadriplegic seven years ago. One year after my injury, I met the love of my life and moved out of my 35-year comfort zone in Florida to Connecticut just to be with her. We married June 17, 2017. I’m now the captain of a national wheelchair rugby team here in Connecticut–the Gaylord Sports Association Jammers–and serve as a peer mentor for spinal cord injury (SCI) patients at Gaylord Hospital as well. I also founded and run the first SCI support group for Fairfield County. I enrolled in Gateway Community College in New Haven and am pursuing a career in therapeutic recreation (only one more semester left!). I also landed a very rewarding basketball coaching job for Future Stars Sports Academy. Most recently, I also became a soccer dad to my youngest daughter, Joey (10). My mission is to inspire and motivate others to be socially and physically active no matter their circumstances so they can fully enjoy their own independence and autonomy.

The 4th annual Achilles Connecticut Hope & Possibility® races presented by Cigna take place on July 21 in Bloomfield, Connecticut. To register, visit https://www.hartfordmarathon.com/achilles-ct-hope-possibility-run/

To make a donation to Achilles Connecticut to help offset the costs of disabled athletes’ race registration fees and equipment, visit http://achillesct.everydayhero.do/

Renzo Rios Nino of Stamford, CT. I’m run-walking Hope & Possibility because I want to be active, but also just to make good and new friends.

Renzo Rios Nino: My superpower would be to cure others’ disabilities

June 12, 2019

One of the many fresh new faces to the Connecticut Chapter this year is Renzo Rios Nino. Part of our ever-growing group of athletes hailing from Fairfield County, he’s a huge fan of animals and healthy eating (as you’ll see in his response to our “favorite foods” question)! Renzo is also one of our biggest cheerleaders, frequently opting to support his Achilles teammates at the start and finish lines with plenty of cowbell, smiles and words of encouragement.

In addition to answering the questions below, Renzo shared with us a short video that he recorded at the age of 16, which explains how he lost his vision as a nine-year-old. Check out the video here, and be sure to introduce yourself to Renzo at the next race!

How did you get involved with Achilles Connecticut?

I heard about Achilles from Jordan Acevedo, a friend of mine who is a member. I’ve never done a 10k, and eventually maybe in a year or two I might be able to do it.

Why are you running in the Hope & Possibility® races?

I am walk-running because I want to be active, but also just to make good and new friends.

If you had to describe yourself as an animal, which one would it be?

I would pick a dog because I am loyal, gentle, friendly and just love to be around people.

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I have so many favorite foods, but if I had to pick one it would be rice and split pea soup.

What was your favorite subject in school, and why?

My favorite class in school was history because I got to learn about what happened in our country and other countries.

Who is your hero?

My hero is Hellen Keller because she never gave up. She always, always strived forward. And she wanted to help others.

Anything else you’d like to add?

If I had to pick a superpower, it would be the ability to touch someone’s shoulder and cure them of all diseases, including blindness, death and much, much more.

The 4th annual Achilles Connecticut Hope & Possibility® races presented by Cigna take place on July 21 in Bloomfield, Connecticut. To register, visit https://www.hartfordmarathon.com/achilles-ct-hope-possibility-run/

To make a donation to Achilles Connecticut to help offset the costs of disabled athletes’ race registration fees and equipment, visit http://achillesct.everydayhero.do/

Lack of Eyesight Doesn’t Hold Back Local Runner

May 17, 2019

From the Glastonbury Citizen: May 10, 2019
(article with photo archived below)

Susanne Cesana is more than just “visually impaired.” She is, she says bluntly, “Blind.”

But that’s not stopping the 65-year-old Glastonbury resident from taking part in this Saturday’s Bill Landers Building Bridges Memorial 5K Run/Walk.

With the help of a volunteer athlete from Achilles International’s Connecticut Chapter, Cesana will participate in the annual event that starts at Hubbard Green and winds through the Buttonball area.

As if that’s not enough, after she takes part in the Landers 5K this weekend, Cesana is slated to run in the Brooklyn Half, the largest half-marathon in the country, on May 18.

The mission of Achilles International is “to enable people with all types of physical and developmental disabilities and medical conditions to participate in mainstream running events in order to promote personal achievement and lower barriers to living and active and fulfilling life,” according to its website.

Achilles provides disabled individuals with able-bodied volunteers who help them compete in races. In Cesana’s case, she runs side-by-side with a guide, connected by a tether.

Since she discovered Achilles two years ago, Cesana has taken part in about 15 races, including the 2017 and 2018 Landers 5K, as well as two half-marathons, with the help of guides.

“Somebody told me about Achilles and I wasn’t aware of them,” recalled Cesana. But they paired me with a guide, we trained for three weeks and ran the race and it was the most exhilarating thing just to be part of the community and to be out there running – and I didn’t even know it was an option.”

Cesana’s first race with Achilles’ help was the 2017 Landers 5K. “I love the Landers family and it was my inspiration; I really wanted to run it,” said Cesana.

Being involved with Achilles “has opened up a whole new world of friendships and participation that I was not previously able to be a part of,” said Cesana.

As she runs with a guides from Achilles, Cesana follows their instructions.

“We hold a tether in between our hand and my guide gives me verbal instructions as well as keeps me going in a direction, which I couldn’t do on my own,” she said. “And when the pavement is rough or we are making a turn, my guide gives me verbal instructions as to what’s coming up and what we are doing.”

Cesana doesn’t always work with the same Achilles but the group does its best to work with her as she trains for races. “Achilles will send a guide to train absolutely as often as people are able to match their schedules,” said Cesana.

She has had a positive experience with everyone she has worked with from Achilles, which she called a “great organization.”

“The people in Achilles are honestly some of the most bighearted and caring people I have ever met,” said Cesana.

“They are all athletes themselves and they give of their own personal time, when they could be out running their own race, to help people with disabilities participate,” she added.

“It’s just a very caring relationship and I have made some truly best friends since being a part of Achilles. And you’re running side-by-side so you chat the whole time you are running.”

Cesana began going blind at age 11 and became legally blind when she was in her 20s. Her vision loss is due to a condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa, which is a rare, inherited degenerative eye disease that causes severe vision impairment.

While she wasn’t an avid runner prior to discovering Achilles, Cesana enjoyed staying active by walking her dog and going to the gym.

She wants other people who may benefit from Achilles’ services to be aware of the opportunities the group provides.

“There may be people in our community who would love to get out but feel shut off from participation because they don’t realize a guide would come and walk with them or run with them and I just think that’s a wonderful option for people to know about,” she explained.

Cesana won’t be the onlk person running with an Achilles volunteer this weekend. In fact, Achilles has said that 21 athletes (some visually impaired, others ambulatory or in racing wheelchairs) had expressed interest in the Landers 5K with the help of the organization.

A 45-year resident of Glastonbury, Cesana has been married to her husband Bill for 40 years. The couple has two daughters who grew up in Glastonbury and graduated from GHS; Taia, a member of the Class of 1999, and Traci, who graduated in 2003. Cesana also has three grandchildren.

Cesana is a holistic lifestyle coach and her business is called Empowered Lifestyle LLC. “I am a holistic lifestyle coach because I have a passion and belief in keeping our vitality and living a rich, full life and not disintegrating into inactivity and couch potato-ness,” she said.

Registration for the Landers 5K – which is hosted by the Glastonbury Education Foundation (GEF) – is still open. The race takes place this Saturday, May 11, at 8:30 a.m.

The race was founded in memory of Bill Landers, who was a board member of GEF, an avid runner, a Glastonbury High School graduate, Hartwell youth soccer coach and a “beloved community member,” according to organizers.

In addition, money from the 5K funds community grants from GEF “that promote excellence, innovation and creativity in education for students and the community,” according to the education foundation.

Meet Three-time Survivor and Achilles Athlete, Gail Bruno

June 21, 2018

Milford resident won’t let her new disabilities define her

Achilles Connecticut athlete Gail Bruno has earned the title “Survivor” – several times over.

As a 20-something, Gail sustained a head-and-neck injury in the workplace. Recovery involved nine months of therapy.

Flash forward to September 11, 2001. Gail had recently arrived to her workplace. The Twin Towers, on the morning that they were devastated by two hijacked airplanes. She survived, but was emotionally traumatized.

Though the Milford resident was athletic growing up (including playing on her high school’s basketball and field hockey teams) she only discovered running later in life. On her 40^th birthday, Gail made a wish on her birthday cake that she would one day complete a half marathon. That fall, she ran her first half marathon (Gulf Beach in Milford), followed by the SoNo Half (South Norwalk). Followed by a winter of training outside in snow, ice, freezing rain and whatever else could be dished up in the northeast climate.

On April 1, 2017, Gail says, “My dream finally came true, when I completed the Savin Rock full Marathon, just shy of my 42^nd birthday, with my husband, sister and children present!”

But then, just two weeks after the race, while out on a training run, Gail was struck by an SUV.

Recovery and Achilles

Gail sustained multiple, severe injuries from the accident: a traumatic brain injury (TBI), sprained limbs, a shattered wrist, neck-and back- injuries, severe bruising, and chipped knee and leg bones.

For six months, she was unable to walk. She eventually graduated to walking with a cane. In spring of 2018, she progressed to running. One positive outcome from her situation, though, was an introduction to the Connecticut Chapter of Achilles International, which strives to enable people with all types of disabilities and medical conditions to participate in mainstream run/walk events.

“My therapist suggested that I look into Achilles,” she says. “My goal was to get active again, and I had seen Achilles athletes and guides at the New York City Marathon. I’m excited that they can support me in my goals!”

Hope and Possibility

Since that introduction, Gail has finished the Milford Hospital Live Well 5k with her running partner. Her summer race agenda includes the Achilles Hope and Possibility® four-miler in New York City, and Achilles Connecticut Hope & Possibility® Presented by Cigna in Bloomfield, CT. All on top of ongoing therapy and, with her husband, John, raising two young children and running a Milford music shop (Rt. 1 Guitars).

When asked why she’s running Hope & Possibility, Gail responds, “I don’t want my new disabilities to define me. I was a marathoner, and I can be one again.”

Achilles Connecticut Hope & Possibility® Presented by Cigna will take place in Bloomfield, Connecticut on Sunday July 22^nd. Courses include a 5k run or walk, a 10k and the kids’ fun runs. Register here.

Achilles Member/Author Colleen Kelly Alexander Shares Her Story of ‘Gratitude’

June 14, 2018

Connecticut athlete who defied odds to speak at July Achilles Connecticut events

On race courses, Colleen Kelly Alexander prefers to blend in with the other athletes who are giving it their all. Her backstory is an extraordinary one – an athlete who, by all logic, should have died in a horrific accident on a road in Madison, CT. These days, Alexander gives back in a multitude of ways, including penning her inspirational book, Gratitude In Motion: A True Story of Hope, Determination, and the Everyday Heroes Around Us.

Gratitude in Motion

On October 8, 2011, Colleen was struck by a truck that ran through a stop sign. Run over by both the vehicle’s front and back wheels, from which she sustained serious organ damage, Colleen should have slipped out of consciousness. Instead, she fought. Having previously served as a medic, she said in an interview, “I knew that if I was unconscious, my chances of survival were much less.”

She also noted that a “hero” on the scene called 911 and spread his arms out to protect her from getting run over again. “I am alive because countless people circled my body and gave me cardiopulmonary resuscitations. I needed 80 units of blood.”

Honoring Everyday Heroes
Colleen was in a coma for more than five weeks following the accident. She flatlined twice, and required 30 surgeries. Recovery was painful, involving physical therapy and wound care that first allowed her to use a walker, and then creep up to unassisted walking.

But the prizes she aimed for were her loves: running, biking and swimming. Also, giving back, in appreciation of the “village” that had helped her at the scene of the accident, in the hospital, and during recovery. “I realized we’re all a human family, we’re all brothers and sisters,” she said. “I started to understand the magnitude of how strong I can be, because we’re all in this together.”

In 2013, with the assistance of Achilles International, a nonprofit running club that helps disabled individuals participate in mainstream sports, Colleen competed in races – including her first half-Ironman since the accident, and the New York City Half Marathon. Today, she’s a regular on the race circuit, but gives away her medals in honor of “the everyday heroes around us.”

On Saturday, July 21, Colleen will tell her story at a 5:30 PM book signing event, to be held in the Windsor Room at the Hartford/Windsor Marriott, 28 Day Hill Rd, Windsor, CT. RSVP here.

On Sunday, July 22, Colleen will be the honoree at the Achilles CT Hope & Possibility ® 5K/10K / fitness walk /kids run presented by Cigna, to be held at the Metropolitan Learning Center, 1551 Blue Hills Avenue, Bloomfield, CT. Register here.