The February 17 conclusion to our two-part series on Monica Sprague, who survived a flesh-eating bacteria but lost all her limbs, brought letters honoring Sprague and celebrating life.
A Mother's Recovery
Many captivating stories have been written in the Globe Magazine; none have captured the truth, triumph, and reality of life as does the Monica Sprague story ("I Can Still Be a Mother," February 17). As much as this might be construed to be a "sad" story, there is little question how lucky this family is. Faced with an incredible challenge, a young mother accepts what has happened to keep her family intact, a young man chooses to stand by the family that many could easily choose to pass by, and a young girl accepts the harshness of reality and brings strength and fortitude to all of them. In this story is a lesson for us all: Life is worth living.
Ed Drozda
North Attleborough
Five years ago, my 42-year-old sister, a mother of two young boys, got her "tubes tied" and her incision got infected with strep A bacteria. She had four more surgeries in five days and spent two weeks in the ICU, treating the necrotizing fasciitis, the failing kidneys, the weakening heart. Doug Most's story about Sprague brought me right back there - the terror and the helplessness and the tears. My sister was lucky. She has some "dents" where the infected tissue was removed and possible future medical issues, but she had the luck of an overnight resident who wasn't afraid to call the admitting doctor at 1 in the morning and shoot up the flare that saved my sister's life. I know that the doctors for Sprague did all they could, and she'll never have any answers. But she has a wonderful family and has all her priorities straight, and that will get her through.
Norah S. Zeroka
Beverly
Words cannot express how moved I was by your story of Sprague. It was beautifully written. I am in awe of Sprague and her unrelenting spirit, and I feel guilty about all the times I complain or feel sorry for myself about nothing.
Marilyn Avakian
Concord
Sprague's determination and courage are inspirational, indeed. While I was thoroughly engaged in her story, I was disappointed not to see any mention of her occupational therapist. Her OT was the one who gave her the first taste of independence by teaching her to feed herself, facilitated that "good day" of brushing her own teeth, challenged her to care for Ruben the doll, got her thinking about how to use the stove, and much more.
Anne Muskopf
Somerville
I am a survivor of a particularly virulent form of breast cancer. Truth be told, I was feeling sorry for myself a bit over some of the lingering side effects, but after reading about Sprague - well, let's just say I had an attitude adjustment. Most wrote the story with so much compassion without being syrupy. When he wrote, "Did you have a good day?" I was able to review that I had worked out, gone to church, taken my dog for a long walk in the woods, gone grocery shopping, made dinner for my three boys - I'm thankful.
Karen Knezevic-Gold
Ipswich
Great vs. Good Schools
I began reading "Perspective" (February 17) with great hope and anticipation but then realized that once again the adults who should be advising students and helping with their college search have gotten it all wrong. With more than 2,000 four-year colleges in the United States, it is a shame that phrases such as "lesser schools" and "second-choice schools" have crept into our vernacular. If those of us in secondary and higher education truly care about doing our jobs well, we should be educating students and their families about how best to approach the college search. This education goes way beyond the "fit, not prestige" mantra that author Toby Brewster suggests. We should be helping students understand this key fact: Success in college, in fact, success in life is measured more by what one puts into college and the experiences one has than by the selectivity rating of an institution.
Kelly A. Walter
Executive Director of Admission, Boston University
Boston
Brewster's excellent piece on the perils of the college admissions process implies but does not spell out an important peril faced by applicants from the most prominent private secondary schools. My daughter graduated some time ago from Phillips Academy, Andover and applied to my alma mater, Middlebury College. She was in the top half of her class, was the captain of the gymnastics team, and had started Andover's first-ever drug and alcohol counseling program. Middlebury turned her down, and when I called, the admissions staff explained that, in effect, my daughter was not competing against the applicant pool, but against her own classmates. Some of the very best students in her class had applied and been admitted to Middlebury, and in the interest of class diversity, my daughter was rejected.
My next call, I'm ashamed to say, was to Middlebury's alumni affairs office, to ask that my name be stricken.
Stephen Green
Berlin, Vermont
Another Wingmom
I loved Zine Magubane's story about being happily married and heading out with single friends ("Coupling," February 17). The first time I did this I didn't know what to expect. I had a great time being myself and not wanting or needing to pick up a man. I drank a little, danced a lot, loved the attention, and even flirted some, and then went home to the most loving husband. It's invigorating to know that being a married woman in my 40s can still be fun.
Michelle Zanowski
Stoneham
Seen on the Web
From the blog "The Boston Traveler":
In the Globe Magazine piece titled "No Pants? No Problem." ["Pierced," February 17], the writer makes a persuasive argument for more depantsing in the public sphere. Why relegate the daring disrobing act to just one day per year when you can repeatedly free yourself and amuse or infuriate clueless onlookers all at the same time?
