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Up for the Challenge
Tara LotitoTara Lotito has always been a fierce competitor. As a high school freshman, she worked her way onto the varsity gymnastics and swimming teams. Though a tear to her ACL (a major knee ligament) derailed her from those sports during her junior year, she was determined to stay active and made it onto the softball team and cheerleading squad. After getting a bachelor’s degree in accounting from then University of Maryland, she earned a law degree (magna cum laude) from Seton Hall University. Today, the 31-year-old single mom is a tax and estate attorney with Fazio, Mannuzza, Roche, Tankel, and LaPilusa in Springfield, New Jersey.Clearly, Tara doesn’t let much get in her way, including hearing and vision loss from Usher syndrome. “Everybody has stuff in their life. It can either be an excuse to not accomplish something or you can overcome it,” she says. Looking for a new challenge a couple of years ago, Tara was inspired to compete in triathlons by her friend, Vanessa, an avid triathlete. After Tara’s first event in the summer of 2008, she got “tri bug” and has competed in 10 triathlons since then. And just because she got hooked didn’t mean the competitions were easy — quite the contrary. Tara recalls, “Swimming in those first couple of races was tough. I was in the water with 50 other women, and with limited peripheral vision, I was trying to spot the buoy to stay on the route. At the same time, I was trying not to get kicked in the face. I was all over the course. I was supposed to be doing a “V,” but I was doing more of a “U.” Then after the swim, I had to get my hearing aids on for the bike leg.” Unsurprisingly, now that Tara knows the ropes of triathlon events, she is pushing herself to improve her times with each new competition. Tara credits her mom, Marylee, with introducing her to the Foundation Fighting Blindness and the research underway to find treatments and cures for Usher syndrome and other retinal degenerative diseases. Tara subsequently learned about Race to Cure Blindness for raising money from Sally Mitchell, a triathlete who competes and fundraises in New York City, and Ironman triathlete Michael Stone of Boulder, Colorado, who was featured in the Foundation’s 2005 Annual Report. Tara has now raised approximately $1,600, with much of that coming from her firm, which was eager to support their hardworking colleague. A “Jeans Day” fundraiser was an especially big hit. On Jeans Day, employees were allowed to wear denim for a day when they made a donation. While raising money for research was the primary motivation for participating in Race to Cure Blindness, Tara was heartened by the stories she heard from many her colleagues. “Through fundraising, I heard other people’s stories, how they had friends and loved ones with vision loss. By sharing your stories, you develop a more personal connection.” |
