Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts
By Rick Winterson
October 4, 2007
South Boston’s Kristen McCosh is Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts 2007. Her accomplishments are already long and varied, and she’s embarking on two new careers as well. Oh yes, she also writes novels.
Kristen McCosh is the daughter of John and Dolores (Cashman) Donoghue, who are both still living in South Boston on Marine Road. John was originally from Dorchester, but came to his senses and married Dolores, a South Boston girl. Kristen is a Southie “lifer” also. The family, which includes Kristen’s two brothers – John, a construction worker, and Christopher, an X-ray technician – lived on L Street between Sixth and Seventh during their younger years.
Kristen attended St Peter’s School and Mount St. Joseph. She then went on to UMass Boston, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in English. Since that time, she has held a number of positions in various health institutions and non-profit agencies.
Hers was a seemingly normal existence, except that on June 6, 1983, almost 25 years ago, she experienced one of those wrenching, life-altering accidents. She shattered her sixth cervical vertebra (the C-6) diving in a backyard swimming pool, causing a severe spinal cord injury (SCI). This disabled most of the motor nerve pathways to her limbs, leaving her with mobility only in her arms, and even that is quite limited. She lost any use of her legs, hands, and fingers.
Kristen describes her feelings after the accident as “being more scared than depressed”. Her family and friends stuck closely by her – she received as many as 20 visits a day while she was in the hospital. Anyone who has lived in South Boston for awhile knows that the prayers and the Southie “times” poured in.
Still, Kristen had to face up to spending the rest of her life in a wheelchair. You see, she was now a quadriplegic, even though she retained some use of her arms. Quadriplegia is defined as a severe cervical (neck) SCI that leads to major or complete impairment in both arms and both legs. So, her therapy began, and her health and conditioning routines continue to this day.
After receiving her degree from UMass, Kristen worked for Cambridge’s Disability Commission, and went on from there to a position with the City of Boston Mayor’s Health Line. In 2000, she joined the Neighborhood House as Volunteer Coordinator, working also on development projects. Since June, 2007, she has been a peer mentor at the Spaulding Early Intervention Unit for SCIs, her current new career. As of this writing, she has just become the Editor of “Solutions”, an online e-magazine for those with disabilities (http://www.hireds.com/). That’s her second new career.
She met her husband, John McCosh, at UMass. They were both taking an English major, and John asked her for an interview for an article. He now admits that was really just an excuse to get to know her better. John then transferred to London for a few years with State Street Bank but they continued to see each other. In 1996, he flew back at Christmastime and proposed to Kristen. They were married and moved into their home on Sixth Street in 2001. Their affection is evident in the glances they exchange and the consideration they show to one other.
Kristen won Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts 2007 earlier this year, and then ran nationally. The final judging took place in Washington, D.C., this July – Kristen came in as second runner-up out of a field of 27. She has been spending around 20 hours a week on Ms. Wheelchair America since then. She blogs every day on http://www.mswheelchairmass.org/ The Ms. Wheelchair organization is devoted to outreach, disability education, and so on.
Kristen and John are both novelists. She writes romances; he’s beginning a fantasy tale. John is also a talented photographer, who is selling his works to support the Ms. Wheelchair programs and is exhibiting right now at Cranberry Café. Kristen drives, works out, and continues to write, while holding down a job. According to her, “I even cook a little.” She describes her condition by saying, “If I stay bed-ridden, I’m dependent. Once I’m in my wheelchair, I’m completely independent.”
Amen.
