Meet Miggy

How many Olympia alumni still have a nickname that originated at camp ? The culture and community of Olympia creates an atmosphere where such things happen. This blog is about journeys. Miggy's is one of the best. I'm glad I got to witness a part of it.

Meet Miguel A Grande. A great counsellor, a great coach, a great person who lived with a physical condition that makes his journey more amazing and heroic. When he started working camps through the YMCA and Camp Belwood, Miguel met many people who had worked at camps for 10 years and he always wondered why anyone would spend their entire summers at camp.

Then Miguel got to Olympia in 2013 and became Miggy. 

Olympia from day 1 did something to Miggy. Everyone brought him into their fun, enthusiastic spirit, which brought his out, and Miggy was hooked. He remembers fondly his first Sunday Jamboree, meeting the legendary Bruce Ransom, and especially meeting the Unit Leaders that inspired him to become one too.

Miggy was a counsellor in 2013, became a unit leader in 2014, went back to being a counsellor in 2015, then was a unit leader in 2016 and 2017 before becoming Don of the Box in 2018. That's the timeline, but its what Miggy put into Olympia that made him invaluable. I remember him eating lunch with his campers with so much enthusiasm that it was hard for them to not have fun and buy in with their enthusiasm too. He would gravitate to those he sensed needed support and focussed his energies on them. I can still see Miggy sitting on a picnic table after BBQ lunch, holding court with kids when he could have been taking a break before afternoon session started. That's the Olympia Way. That's Miggy. 

Miggy was doing all this while having to deal with a congenital condition that it made it essential that he be very careful of what he ate. He thanks the OSC kitchen staff for helping him keep his cholesterol levels low every summer. His heart doctor back home was always impressed with how low the numbers were. He learned through Olympia that eating vegetarian options is, for him, the way to go.

Miggy also coached in the Waterloo Wildhawk club system and whenever I'd see him in a gym I was so impressed. His young teams sometimes looked just it like it was at camp, with a cabin full of campers surrounding him, and he bubbling with enthusiasm. They played hard.

The Miggy method was inspiring to watch, but I've learned a lot about this leader just in the last year or so that makes his contributions to Olympia and the basketball community even more impressive.. 

I knew it would be hard for him to step away.

 Miggy and I had connected a few months back  so I knew a little about his condition. When I saw this message on Facebook I asked Miggy if I could share his note and a bit of his journey on my blog. His openess and humanity expressed in the note show the depth of his hero's mindset. Note also that his words echo what Olympia brought to his mindset. A Hero's mindset.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation has a series that they call Beat As One. They share stories of people who have been touched by their cause. It highlights the reality, the progress, the triumph and the that people with heart conditions face every day. 

Miggy has faced these challenges every day since he was 5. I'll let his submission to Beat As One illustrate his heroic journey.

“’You’re so young. How could such a young guy get a stroke?’ is the question I get asked the most when people I meet don’t know me. I am 38 years old, and little did I know, that on July 15th, 2024, I would experience a stroke as a result of Moyamoya disease (a rare blood vessel condition where the carotid artery in the skull narrows or becomes blocked).

I didn’t lose my mobility, my memories, or any cognitive skills, and I attributed my fortunate circumstances to living a healthy lifestyle my entire life.

When I was five years old, I was diagnosed with Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia or HOFH (a rare hereditary genetic mutation passed by both parents to their child which reduces the ability of the body’s cells to remove bad cholesterol from the bloodstream, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease).

Every two weeks, since I was five years old, I would have a central-line (a slender, pliable catheter inserted into a major vein that leads to the heart) put in which allowed me to undergo a treatment that removed cholesterol from my blood, called plasmapheresis.

My diet was strict, and I was always active. Although my HOFH diagnosis has presented challenges, I am proud of having this condition because of how healthy I am. People would think I am crazy for the strict diet that I have always been on. And this condition has changed every part of my daily routine since I was a child. I will admit, it was scary growing up knowing one day I could have a heart attack or a stroke.

Last year, I had a stroke. I had been coaching basketball since I was 17 years old, and I loved it so much. In the last few years, I had taken on more leadership roles in relation to coaching basketball, and it took a toll on me. I care so much about my players’ development, and I was giving my all to make sure they succeeded. However, I wasn’t taking care of myself. I am not a doctor, but I think the major factor that caused my stroke was the increased level of stress I was under, and I wasn’t helping myself by not getting the rest I needed.

When I left the hospital, four days after my stroke, I realized I needed to find a support system to help me understand life after a stroke better. So, I joined a local support group and met regularly with other stroke patients. I discovered others experienced similar things that I did: a lack of post-stroke resources and loneliness. I was told to stop coaching basketball. Mentally, this hurt me so much. I felt like I was on my own. Fortunately, I found professional support and my dear old friends, who were always there for me, provided the personal support that I was missing.

During my time away from coaching, I have started making major changes in my life. I started taking the time to read more books and practice meditation. Sleep has been relaxing now, no stress anymore, and my energy is so focused on the next big thing I will accomplish.

It is never too late to get your goals started, especially being healthy. Living as a child with HOFH, combined with all the obstacles I faced throughout my life, is what defines me as a person. And I'm proud of it.

Now, I am preparing myself to take my Coaching Career, and my Teacher Career, to another level. You will see me on a bigger stage next time I am on the court. But this time, I will be doing it in the healthiest way.”

The people we meet on our journey. Thanks for sharing Miggy. See you in a gym sometime.

A Hero’s Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp chronicles the people that make up the history of Olympia, but it does far more than that. It serves as an inspirational guidebook for readers to become the hero of their own path. In order to do this the book examines the history of the land on which the camp has been built, from its indigenous origins to the European settlement process of the 1800’s. and the use of the land by the Royal Norwegian Air Force during WWll. The book is built on a collection of stories related to mentorship, sports psychology, and community building. This book honours the 50-year history of the camp while giving us all a window into seeing a deeper level of understanding of the world and our place in it.

Books Available at: 

 - Amazon and Indigo.ca

-  Indigo, Burlington Brant Street location.

- The Different Drummer Book Store on Locust Street in Burlington\

- Cedar Canoe Books on Main St in Huntsville

- Etransfer me $30 and I'll drive it to your house ! 

- available online at aherosjourney.ca

- audiobook version is available at Audible, Amazon, and iTunes 

If you would like us to come to your town for a book event or get copies into your favourite bookstore , email me at coachdools71@gmail.com. We travel well.