Mary Labriola
In Honor and Memory of Mary Labriola
“I think George Harrison said it?-- “‘All things must pass.’”
It’s fitting that one of Mary’s favorite quotes came from a musician: music was one of her greatest passions. In her youth, Mary was a drummer, rubbing elbows during performances with the likes of Peter Cetera (of Chicago, one of her all-time favorite bands).
Mary always had the radio on during family car rides and couldn’t help grooving and tapping her hands and feet along to the rhythm. (Once a drummer, always a drummer!) Her son, Chris, later became a musician himself, and Mary rarely missed a performance, even in the later years of her diagnosis.
Mary’s creativity didn’t stop with music. She was passionate about displaying her Christmas villages during the holidays, setting up the snow, ice, and the villagers just right.
Mary had a voracious intellectual appetite, and she always sought out the latest scientific developments. If one of her sons mentioned breaking medical headlines to her, there was a high chance she’d already read the article.
Mary wasn’t just a passive learner, either. In 1997 she actually launched one of the first-ever websites about MS, even predating the national MS Society website. At a time when even tech-oriented people weren’t necessarily looking to create their own websites, Mary, then in her fifties, did. The site’s community forum – where leading doctors including Drs. Bruce Cohen, and Anthony Reder the field answered questions about MS – flourished until the website shut down in 2011.
In the words of Paul McCartney – who Mary was delighted to see live in concert before her passing– “No matter how rough it gets, there’s always light somewhere.” For her family and for the community of MS patients and family, Mary was that light.
“She was always asking herself, ‘How can I move things forward for others? How can I help?’” Michael says. This generous spirit is reflected in Mary’s invaluable contribution to the National MS Brain Bank, which will help others face an MS diagnosis, as well as everyone in their lives who supports them.
