Women I Love

Featuring those who inspire and I admire.

Who is your neighbor? Mine is an incredible athlete who just competed for Canada in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing as well as the World Cup in Europe.

Jennifer ‘JJ’ Hawkrigg grew up in the ski house next door and was committed to snowboarding since she first tried it at 4 years old. She has an amazing and supportive family; one I have also known since I was young. In fact, my only lonely claim to adjacent Olympic fame is that I taught her cousins to ski.

Our small family ski club of HoliMont sent a whopping 5 people to the Olympics this year!

JJ was essentially born an athlete – it seems every sport appealed to her as a child. In addition to snowboard racing, she also played volleyball, basketball, soccer, and field hockey, for a while she was even a competitive hockey goalie.

At 11 years old, she wrote a note to herself declaring it was her dream to go the Olympics. And that dream came true this winter as she booted up on a chilly Beijing night to do a run that many of us would be nervous to look down – let alone race down.

See, the thing is – she could have chosen a path with an easier road to medal. But she decided to really go for it. Do the tough thing, the bigger challenge, to make her mark. And no matter how much one prepares, you simply cannot prepare for breaking a binding. JJ was disqualified. This would test any athlete’s “mettle” and break most. But not JJ. Resilience is in her DNA. She rallied and was able to compete at the World Cup in Europe a few weeks later.

JJ is also a standout from other athletes because parallel to her professional snowboarding career she pursued a university degree. Many professional athletes don’t pursue their education as they’re working so hard to pursue their sport. But JJ was committed to doing both. Not the easy path. Again.

One time she had to miss a series of World Cup races due to final exams. I’ve never had an excuse with that magnitude. You just can’t teach this kind of commitment; it must come from within.

This masterful athlete officially retired from the sport last week. I give JJ so much credit for packing more into her 25 years than most people pack into a lifetime.

You can tell that JJ has her mind set on always chasing her dream: “When I win a race, it makes me want to continue to improve.” For most of us, winning a race proves that we have, indeed, improved. The difference JJ illustrates as an Olympian is trying to achieve that next level.

The takeaway isn’t just to chase your dream, we’ve got that. The bigger lesson is when you get to your dream – try to go even further and don’t be afraid to fall short of one dream in order to pursue another.

Be proud and stand tall, JJ. With this kind of attitude, you’re bound to win more than medals. I see you continuing to dream and push and improve and succeed. I’m in awe of your accomplishments and can’t wait to see what you do next.

Your dream isn’t the end, it’s just the beginning.

NIcole Ferrari: Warrior against als

We don’t know how strong we are until the world gives us an opportunity to showcase it. I worked with Nicole Ferrari 20 years ago in the marketing department of Gillette/P&G where we created brand ideas and communication strategies for Duracell batteries. If ever there was a person filled with the strength of a battery to power a device, it would most definitely be Nicole.

Nicole was diagnosed with ALS in 2011, yet she continued to power her family for 10 solid years. And even after losing her to the disease in September, she still inspires her friends and family through a foundation with a focus on finding a cure and raising awareness for ALS.

Nicole was valiant, passionate about her family, intelligent, kind, and sweet. ALS is a disease requiring a fight like no other. Nicole was a warrior who, like her namesake foundation, never stopped fighting. While we can use muscles for strength, ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases rob you of that ability.

Nicole was heroic in life and will always be a model for bravery.

With an amazing family and team of MGH doctors by her side, Nicole was powered with the strength of 1,000 battleships as she participated in over 10 clinical trials. And her trademark 10,000-watt smile was a constant, even in the darkest days. She championed her husband Mike as he ran marathons and raised over $50,000 for ALS as a member of the ALS Association and ALS ONE running teams. He will be running the Boston Marathon this year for the first time without Nicole at his side.

I can’t begin to scratch the surface of that kind of strength. From the sidelines of life, I simply bow my head in admiration and reflect on her gift to humanity.

I hope with the commitment of incredible doctors and scientific progress, we will find a cure for this disease. Until then, please consider honoring Nicole’s extraordinary legacy by giving to her foundation NSF/Never Stop Fighting (Nicole S. Ferrari) and ALS/One.

Kimberly west: champion for missing daughter

My mom gave me a card last year, it said: “Mothers are like buttons, they hold things together.” Kimberly Kadzik West is one of those mothers. She is holding more than a few things together, but above all - hope.

On an early foggy September morning in 2020, Kimberly’s 19-year-old daughter Sydney disappeared in San Francisco. She was last seen on September 30th near the Golden Gate Bridge where she liked to go for runs and take pictures. An excellent student-athlete with a love of music, Sydney was always a role model to her younger sister Faith. Together her tight-knit family took many trips. cataloging photos with smiles and memories around the world.

Kimberly is hopeful in the face of the unimaginable: strong, determined, and brave. I admire her deeply for her dedication to finding answers and creatively seeking ways to spread awareness about Sydney’s disappearance. We all pray that 2022 is the year Sydney is reunited with her loving family.

Until then, join me in helping to #findsydneywest – more information can be found at https://findsydneywest.com/

marsha kushin: EXTRAORDINARY orchestra teacher

Some teachers come into your life and never leave your heart. Marsha Kushin is one of those people. Starting in 3rd grade, she taught me violin and was the conductor of our orchestra. She’s a primary reason music is the foundation from which my creativity flows.

With an unflappably upbeat spirit and a spring in her step, she helped many a musician build a love for their instrument. The notes just sounded better with her as your cheerleader. Marsha continues to inspire me although our paths haven’t crossed in decades.

While my full orchestra years are behind me, I still love to play the piano and sing. Thank you Marsha for allowing music to be my first true love. I am inspired to write, speak and help others because I have a love of music. Music helps me help others.

Carry the best qualities of the people you admire and share them with those you love. Here’s to women making other women better. And teachers everywhere making students stronger. My next song’s for you.

MAggie Labanca: school shooting survivor AND GUN VIOLENCE ACTIVIST

Maggie LaBanca, my cousin, is a Woman I Love.

She is about to graduate high school, but she almost didn’t make it out of elementary school. Maggie was in a nearby classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown CT when a gunman shot his way through the front doors of her school.

Maggie was forced to march outside, eyes tightly closed, each of her classmates holding onto the shoulders of the ones in front of them. The gunman had just killed her best friend and neighbor 7-year-old Daniel Barden (pictured above with Maggie at the lake), 6 teachers, and 19 classmates - stealing their chance at graduation and life itself.

There have been many difficult years of post-traumatic stress. Maggie recently described how she once enjoyed sleeping in the comfort of total darkness, but now requires all the lights on, ensuring she’s fully under the blankets of her bed - every inch covered, including her head. She scans each room she enters for possible shooters. And then scans again.

10 years later. Every day. Every room.

It takes a courageous person to confront their fears. Maggie is determined, resourceful and intelligent. She has a great love of engineering and has been building the coolest concept of architecture as her senior project - a Tiny House. Maggie is going to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the fall, pursuing a dual degree of mechanical and aerospace engineering.

In addition to playing varsity field hockey and refereeing soccer games, Maggie has been championing rights for gun legislation and was recently interviewed on CNN. An excerpt:

“The thing about trauma and shootings that people don't really understand is that all of those memories, all of those audio noises, all of those quick visions that relate to that day, they stay with you. I mean, I can't go outside when I hear fireworks. I shudder when there's a closed door. I'm always looking over my back. It's 10 years later and I don't feel safe yet. My life has been defined that I am a survivor of gun violence and I wake up each day to that reality.”

Shockingly, Maggie is one of many students in this country living under the specter of gun violence. Some are committed to speaking out and enlightening people to the long-term effects of trauma.

Kids shouldn’t have to champion for these causes. They should be soaking up the last days of senior year – studying for finals, gathering with friends, going to the beach, and getting excited about the future.

Instead, Maggie was busy helping to organize and lead a rally in Newtown, marching with her community for National Gun Violence Awareness Day and drove to Washington DC this past weekend to demonstrate with other survivors. It is horrifying to report that while there, Maggie’s threat of a gunman materialized when a counter-protestor jumped a barricade screaming about a gun and a bomb and threw something into the crowd. A mix of fear and chaos scattered the survivors swiftly, deepening their trauma.

Sandy Hook Promise envisions a future where children are free from shootings and acts of violence in their schools, homes, and communities. Their mission is simple. But why is it so hard to attain?

I had worries as a child, but none of my nightmares included being shot at school or in a grocery store. It’s up to us to make the world better for our kids as well as our teachers.

Please consider your position on this cause and let’s try to make some real changes so everyone can have the childhood they deserve.

You can read more on Maggie and other school shooting survivor’s stories in this recent feature in The Washington Post, What School Shootings Do To The Kids That Survive Them

Wee Women I Love: These four kindergarten friends

These four girls give us a glimpse into what’s possible. Sure, it’s kindergarten.

But in addition to learning the basics of early education like reading, writing, math and shoelace-tying, they have built a powerful foundation of friendship and camaraderie that will serve them for life. They lean on each other literally and figuratively.

When one of them recently had an accident and broke her collarbone, her friends quickly pitched in to help.

Whether it’s zipping up her jacket before recess, carrying heavier equipment in the classroom, or just lending moral support – these girls give their hearts to one other unabashedly.

Another friend in this foursome had a birthday party to which she invited the whole class. At the end of the party, my daughter boldly asked the birthday girl for her cake topper. I was mortified.

But this sweet friend was quick to give my daughter her personalized mermaid cake topper without hesitation. Another way of showing she’d give the shirt off her back. What my daughter doesn’t know is that I still have it sitting in a box on my desk.

It’s one of my personal signs of hope. It makes me smile.

Forming healthy friendships is part of growing up. Female friendships start early. Practicing good sportsmanship, considerate ways, and keen listening skills, start early.

You can help by encouraging our girls to be kind and supportive to one another, and by explaining what it means to be a good friend. We can make this world a sweeter place for women by demonstrating compassion, generosity of spirit, and displaying large doses of thoughtful humanity.

If kindergartners can do it skillfully, there’s hope for us yet.