Who is Percy?
My birth certificate says Michael… but you may know me as Percy.
In April of 2017, I began the Where’s Percy Facebook account. The premise was simple: I would post a photo of Percy (my Waldo-inspired alter ego) enjoying a landmark, event, or other places in Connecticut (and beyond!) and folks would comment on the post, being as specific as possible, guessing where I was. For every correct answer, I donated $1 to Seymour Pink. It was a way to spread some joy on social media while also giving back to an organization that means a lot to me.
Since then, Where’s Percy has grown beyond my wildest dreams. I have been able to bring my passion for running into the Where’s Percy story and have been spreading cancer awareness while wearing my striped uniform or my Run Cancer Out Of Ct shirt to 5Ks, half-marathons, full marathons and even a 50K.
in September of 2023, I faced a major setback as my health took a drastic turn. There is nothing scarier than the unknown. I went through extensive testing over the next 15 months and was diagnosed with Hypoxia (lack of oxygen). That is not something anyone wants to hear, but even more so for a runner to hear. The words I heard next were even more concerning to me, “you have a rare form of Hypoxia, there is no cure or treatment at this time. 2024 was a year of what’s next? What can I do? What’s gong to happen? I want to thank everyone who reached out and checked up on me and all their wishes and prayers. As of November 5th, 2024 my health changed yet again, this time for the better. In an unexplainable event I woke up feeling rested even though I had a lousy night of sleep. Since then I have been able to function again like “normal”. I have even started hitting the treadmill and after the new year and the weather breaks I will be putting in the miles out on the asphalt yet again.
The community has rallied around the Where’s Percy movement and I couldn’t be more grateful.
Thank you.