In the fall of 2025, we celebrated something extraordinary. Mary Virlee was officially “pinned” at Juniper — marking her transition from physical therapy into personal training.

For many people, graduating from PT into training is a milestone.

For Mary, it is nothing short of a miracle.

And it is only the beginning.

Because Mary didn’t rebuild her strength just for herself. She rebuilt it for Bolivia.

Where It Began

In 2017, Mary and her husband Dave met Dr. Matthew Campbell of Holy Family Memorial Hospital Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin when he repaired Dave’s hernia.

The surgery went well. But Crohn’s complications followed. Then came devastating news: untreatable rectal cancer.

Mary was a gifted educator — and, years earlier, DPT Liz Wergin’s science teacher. That same year, she stepped away from the classroom to become Dave’s full-time caregiver. For two years, she carried him through hospital stays, wound care, procedures, and the sacred weight of limited time.

In August 2019, Dave passed away.

Through that heartbreak, something else quietly took root.

It was through Dave’s illness that Mary met Dr. Campbell.
It was through Dave’s care that she became connected to Send Health.
It was through loving him “in sickness and in health” that she found purpose in serving others.

Though Dave is gone, that purpose remains.

When the Caregiver Became the Patient

After years focused entirely on Dave, Mary’s own health began to unravel.

In 2020, she was hospitalized with cellulitis and dangerously low platelets after an antibiotic reaction. Her primary care provider had quit during the pandemic, so she called the doctor she trusted.

Dr. Campbell asked, “What can I do to help?”

Mary answered honestly: “I’m a wreck.”

Together, they made a plan.

Eventually she began physical therapy at Juniper with DPT Liz Wergin. As her strength returned, she transitioned into training with Craig Buyeske, continuing to build resilience beyond rehab.

Step by step, she moved forward. But her fight wasn’t finished.

A Fight for Her Life

In May 2023, Mary became critically ill. A ruptured diverticulum. Sepsis. ICU admission. A ventilator. A football-sized abdominal wound.

She spent six weeks in the ICU, followed by weeks in rehab.

When she returned home, she needed help stepping up an 8-inch step, getting off the toilet, and walking safely.

She recalls learning, “Every day in bed takes a week to rebuild.”

So she rebuilt.

By September 2023, she was back in PT with Liz, relearning how to breathe and stabilize her core.

In February 2024, Dr. Campbell performed a 7.5-hour surgery to reverse her colostomy and repair her hernia. Because of the strength she had built, she walked later that same day.

Cancer Again — and Strength Again

In 2025, Mary faced endometrial cancer.

She was taken to surgery for a hysterectomy, and the procedure was begun. But once surgeons opened her abdomen, they discovered what is called a “frozen abdomen” — extensive scar tissue and adhesions from her prior surgeries made it unsafe to proceed. The hysterectomy could not be completed.

Mary then underwent six weeks of radiation and internal radiation treatment known as Brachytherapy — a targeted therapy that delivers radiation directly to the treatment site while protecting surrounding tissue.

The treatments were long and exhausting.

And when they were finished, she returned to training again.

Not just to recover. But to prepare.

The Goal: Bolivia

For years, Mary has supported Send Health — sewing medical supply bags for families receiving care, hosting donor events in her home, and organizing raffle baskets.

She understands what surgery can restore. Now she wants to serve in person.

Every time she lifts with Colleen, she’s thinking about Bolivia — the cobblestone roads, the stairs to second-floor hotel rooms, the separate bathroom buildings, the long, demanding days. Dr. Campbell has been clear: the terrain and days are demanding.

So Mary is preparing.

Today she can squat with control, carry 25 pounds, step up continuously for 90 seconds, and walk independently indoors.

She is training with purpose.

For Bolivia. To offer care.

Why We Celebrate

Nearly 20 Southeast Wisconsinites are stepping away from home to serve on this mission. Mary and Dr. Campbell are two of ten Manitowoc County residents traveling to Bolivia next month. Five additional team members once lived in Manitowoc. Four others are from Sheboygan County.

This is our community going. And this is why we celebrate.

At Mary’s Juniper pinning ceremony, she turned her pin over and noticed the words on the back:

Move Better. Feel Stronger. Live Fully.

She smiled. Because that is exactly what she has done.

She moved better after relearning how to walk.
She felt stronger after rebuilding from surgeries and cancer.
And now she is choosing to live fully — by carrying that strength to others.

Mary isn’t just a success story. She is our mission, lived out.

And now she’s sending that health — that hope — beyond herself.

If her story moves you, consider supporting the Bolivia mission.

Let’s help Mary — and our community — go. 💚