Day 14

by · Published December 8, 2024 · Updated December 8, 2024

December 8 – Day 14 of the 16 Days of Advocacy

I OFTEN WONDER
By Marissa Quintero

Is it possible that my little girl was left behind for no reason, and all she could think of was:abandon, am I being abandoned?

The terrifying feeling when it was time to go to her bedroom, see the nightfall, go under the blanket, and tremble with each sound of thunder and the struck of lightning through a storm.

Mother and Father would coax her, it was just a rule, there was no negotiation. Maybe they couldn’t handle too many children? Maybe they were exhausted? Maybe they needed time to themselves?

But she would put her little hand in her pocket, in hopes of finding a sweet fruit filled chocolate, because that would certainly make her oh so very happy.

The gladness that she has found as years have gone by and she hit rock bottom, but decided to fight her inner demons. She has decided to self-heal. She knows she has been made for greatness.

And it was that hard decision that has brought her to blossom. Through prayers. Through reading. Through writing. Through meditation. Through carefully choosing who she surrounds herself with.

Her self-healing journey has brought her to running in her forties. And now, after a handful of 5K’s, 10k’s, half marathons and one marathon, she’s currently chasing the most special unicorn – and Boston will see this little Indian Colombian girl, currently transforming into a colorful butterfly ready to open her wings

Marissa Quintero is an Indian-Colombian immigrant, single mother to 2 sons, focused on her self-healing journey.

Besides her corporate job, Marissa hosts a monthly Women’s Prayer Circle; is a Champion Ambassador for Still I Run and the Wellness Coordinator Team RWB, Springfield, MA chapter; a board member at Safe Passage; a volunteer reader at an Elementary school through Link to Libraries; and a runner who actively raises Mental Health Awareness, Domestic Violence Awareness and Empowering Women. She has also discovered writing as a way to put her emotions into words, and is grateful to be able to share her voice.