In His Own Words: Nick Manis

Nick Manis (‘17) is a alumni of the Maryland men’s lacrosse team and a key member of the program’s 2017 National Championship team. Manis now resides in Annapolis, Md., and stars for the Chesapeake Bayhawks of Major League Lacrosse. 

In 2013 my Uncle, Brian Adam, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The magnitude of this disease was foreign to me. My brief familiarity with Parkinson’s was due to two family friends with the disease. I knew the disease didn’t discriminate and the progression could be rapid. 

However, I was unaware of the effect it would have on my uncle. From a young age, I looked up to my uncle both athletically and professionally. He was a dominant tight end for four years at the University of Delaware where he remains in the school record book. As a graduate, he became the treasurer for Amtrak for 12 years followed by a career in investment banking. As I became older, we began developing a closer relationship because of our similar interest in sports. 

He was one of my biggest fans from my high school career through to the MLL. This bond was something special to me. Fast forward to 2017, Uncle Brian’s symptoms began to escalate and to affect his quality of life. His spirit, which I believe to be the most inspiring I’ve ever come across, stays strong despite the changes in his quality of life. He doesn’t complain or make excuses for himself. His willingness to always have a smile on his face and keep fighting is miraculous to me.

Since my Uncle Brian was always there to support and to motivate me, I wanted to honor his Parkinson’s journey the only way I knew how - through athletics. I have been training with Ryan Morrissey, a local personal trainer, since I graduated from UMD. He owns PEAK Custom Fitness Solutions in Annapolis, MD. When I decided I wanted to do something for my uncle, channeling it through our bond of athletics, Ryan brought an event to my attention. One of his good friends, Al DeCecaris, runs a charitable foundation called Difference Makers.

Every year Al invites a small group of people to take on a strenuous adventure challenge and raise money for a charity of their choice. The previous year he had the group run the rim of the Grand Canyon. This year, the event was scheduled to be a marathon through the Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virginia. 

The duration of the event was about seven to eight hours due to the amount of vertical along the trail. The amount of time the event was supposed to take is what caught my interest. This was because my uncle had a deep brain stimulation surgery in January of 2019 to help combat his Parkinson's disease. The surgery involves planting two electrodes in the brain that provide an electrical charge which is supposed to help improve his balance and speech. The full length of the surgery was 7 hours. 

To watch a role model of mine fight a disease that they have no control over has not been easy. Hence, why I wanted to honor his battle by challenging myself physically and mentally.

Due to the Coronavirus, our event was no longer able to happen at the Blue Ridge Mountains. By this time, I was already raising money in my Uncle’s name under the Michael J. Fox Foundation. I worked with Ryan Morrissey to figure out how to emulate a similar event here in Maryland. He helped map out a marathon locally through the Bacon Ridge Trail in Crownsville, Maryland. 

This new route shared a similar challenge but would take about five to six hours. Knowing my goal was to match my uncle’s surgery time of seven hours, I decided to fill the remaining time with a two-mile swim along the Severn River. This was the perfect route as my Uncle lives on the Severn River with his family. 

My uncle, as always, was able to cheer me on as I finished the run and began the swim. Ultimately, he was at the finish line, which was at his home off the Severn River, with many other community friends and family. It only seemed fitting that the challenge ended at his home.

With the help of my former Maryland Lacrosse teammate Nick Brozowski and lifelong friends LJ Urie and Blake Wood, who joined me on this challenge, I was able to raise over $50,000 in my Uncle Brian’s name for Parkinson’s research through the Michael J. Fox Foundation. This remarkable amount of money still shocks me. 

Parkinson’s is a disease that affects many and in many different shapes and forms. Our community came together to support my uncle and for that I am forever grateful. This event for me was not about the money raised, it was about honoring my lifelong fan by being his biggest cheerleader in his battle with Parkinson’s. 

#BeTheBest,

Nick Manis