Love Through the Generations
The story of Michael Gutierrez of Garden City, is a story of the power of love. It’s love through the generations, beginning with his love for his grandmother, affectionately called Nonna, and continuing for his dear parents. In this story of love through the generations, the Little Sisters play a part as well.
You see, Michael’s grandmother, Carmela Conti, affectionally called Nonna, passed away last year. Nonna was not only a role model for Michael with her determined spirit and strong work ethic, but Nonna was a Resident in our Home. Prior to living with us, Michael’s Nonna was a dedicated and caring employee of our Home for over 25 years. Her warmth and gentle advice also made a lovely impression on those of us who came to know her.
Michel wanted to honor Nonna in some special way which would recognize the impact that this determined woman had on his young life. So, Michael signed up to compete in the David Goggins Challenge to honor Nonna. For those who don’t know, the David Goggins Challenge is an endurance race created by former Navy Seal, David Goggins.
It is really an easy challenge. All Michael had to do was run 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours!
The love through the generations continued for Michael as he trained. His dear parents were encouraging and supportive of his commitment to compete in this challenge. Love surrounded Michael as he trained and competed, as his parents cheered him on. Michael’s mother, Antonietta, was also a dedicated and caring employee at our Home for many years.
To show love has no boundaries, other people ran with him a while to keep him company during the challenge. In addition, many people sponsored Michael in his race. After the successful completion of this challenge, Michael honored his love for his determined Nonna, expressed his love for his parents and raised $3,500 for the Little Sisters at Queen of Peace Residence.
When Michael and his mother stopped by the Home to drop off the donation, they had the opportunity to spend some time with Sr. Genevieve who actually worked with Nonna for all those years.
Love through the generations is beautiful to witness.
Love Through the Generations