BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — When the extension office and partners hosted a 2-mile summer dash Friday, they aimed to get people moving for their mental and physical well-being. What they didn’t realize was that there would be people walking for recovery, including Mary Parsons and her family.

Mary is a former standout softball player at Sheldon Clark High School. In 2018, she was sentenced to four years in federal prison.

She struggled with sobriety and had lost her way of life.

Luckily, she had a mother who always supported her. Lisa initiated Casey’s Law, but her daughter was sentenced before the completion of appointments.

Mary’s mother kept in contact over the years as much as possible.

Mary experienced the COVID pandemic behind bars, which was frightening in itself. However, she says she did enjoy the time alone in isolation. It gave her time to think about the past and the future.

The world looked and felt different when Mary was released in January 2022. While everyone else was returning to a new kind of “normal” from the COVID pandemic, Mary had a bit of a culture shock.

She joked about having to use the kiosks to order food from the Taco Bell in Louisa.

“The road to nowhere actually leads to somewhere now,” Mary spoke of the four-lane highway to Martin County High School.

There’s a new McDonald’s, where she now works.