Deep behind the mom and pop restaurants and businesses at the conclusion of Oviedo lies an endless two-lane road equipped with sporadic quantities of roadkill and caution signs warning of turtles and deer, through miles of trees and grass leading to a little baby blue building that stands alone being swallowed by the acres of greenery. This structure, adjacent to a lake filled with alligators, is Jolly Gator Fish Camp restaurant managed by Mary Consolato, a philanthropist to the town of Geneva and abroad.
Consolato, for three years now, has been conducting events and cookout fundraisers about every other month at the establishment to raise money to provide for those sick with cancer and diabetes, which she refers to as a "silent killer."
The interior of the restaurant is embellished with fish and boat decorum with text reading such things as, "Boats 4 rent,"Hunters, Fisherman and Other Liars Gather Here" and "Gone Fishing. Be back for deer season," in between the large windows that permit the luminous sunlight to shine in and visitors to view out at the landscape scenery.
Consolato seats herself next to a window so she can observe the lake and explains that she became motivated to walk for diabetes 15 years ago when her nephew, Ryan, who was 11 years old at the time, was found to have juvenile diabetes, and eight years ago, one of her five children, Jason, became diabetic at age 27, both type one insulin dependent. In 2001, she became a volunteer, setting up tents and tables for walk and bike events at 5:30 in the morning, which she says she loves doing.
She recalls a sleepless night this year that she walked for diabetes awareness, as she does yearly for both diseases. "I tried laying down and I looked up at the sky," she said. "There are these pines all over, all around you. I was just laying on my lawn chair with a blanket and all of a sudden, I look up and it was just so cool," her blue eyes light up, "because of the light that they had in the pines, it just made this awesome view and I said I'm not going to sleep."
She began participating in the American Diabetes Association in 1996, along with Relay for Life in 2009, moving her way up to leader on her diabetes team, co-leader on the cancer team and has become manager of the restaurant after only a year employed, meanwhile running a flag retail business on the side. She says she has a knack for promotion. "That's my nature. It really is," she said as she laughed hysterically.
For the past two years, the two chili cook-offs she has executed for Relay amounted to $1,500 each time, which is donated to Relay in its entirety, she says proudly, adding that her team as a whole raised $5,000 last year and over $6,000 this year.
Consolato has dealt with many friends' deaths due to cancer, an innumerable quantity and says her walks became even more significant when she began building rapports with the patients.
The mood darkened a bit and her usually smiling face no longer portrays joy as she remembers a dear friend and fellow dart-player of hers who died of lung cancer eight years ago. He was expected to live up six months but he ended up passing away after a mere two weeks following the start of chemotherapy and radiation. "That was probably one of the hardest ones I had to deal with," she said. "We were so close and it was so unexpected. He was an awesome guy and all of a sudden he was there and then the next minute, he's just gone."
She also recounts the discovery of her nephew and son's illnesses. "I just deal with life," she said. "I've been through lots in my life. I lost a house to a fire ... It's like a death in your family. You just deal with it. I start with my gratitude list."
Consolato started using a "gratitude list" several years ago to remind herself of the litany of things she has to be grateful for despite the hardships faced in life, including her son's diagnosis. "Hey, he's alive," she expressed. "He has this disease he has to learn to manage ... Life is what it is. You have to accept it. I accept the things I cannot change. Of course change the things I can. My first question in anything I have in my life is, 'Can I change it?' "
30 minutes prior to the restaurant opening at 11 a.m., a couple inquires if they can be let in earlier after their long commute on a motorcycle. Consolato, without hesitation and a gleaming smile, hops up from the wooden bench where she located herself, to allow the customers to enter, open the kitchen, get the music flowing, and serve them drinks with two menus.
Consolato characterizes herself as a helpful, supportive person and that she seldom gets angry. When her son was diagnosed, she says she did not get discouraged or upset but immediately went into combat mode to fight for his health through advisory. "It's life," she said with a sigh as she thought about her son and nephew. "The reason why I do the diabetes walks, it's for all the research to hopefully find a better way to make it easier for them."
She says during difficult circumstances, while others are emotional or handling things uneasily, she's the one keeping everyone together and the go-to person for one to seek guidance.
Suzie Worske, a close friend of 12 years, a fellow volunteer and a co-worker of Consalato's, says they immediately connected and that she has been comforted by Consolato's words of wisdom. "She's very giving," said Worske. "The woman never tires. She gives and gives and gives ... She would do anything for anybody. I've never known her not to do anything she can to help anybody. Pretty much everyday you talk to her, I guarantee you're going to find something, at least one thing, everyday that she's doing to help somebody."
As she steps out of the building, Consolato hugs a customer then stands in the outdoor patio with the utopia that is secluded from the rest of the world, with nothing but green and water behind her like a painted portrait and as the wind slightly breezes passed her, she says she takes life as it is and concludes, "You've got to ask yourself, 'What can you do?' "
Upon exiting on a winding rocky trail driven on with trucks and waddled on by ducks, a sign to farewell reads, "Ya'll come back soon."
Consolato keeps her gratitude list always in mind and says serenity prayers daily, which she asserts are what gets her through life and that she feels "100%" that God inspired her to aid the sick. While continuing her present accomplishments, her future plans consist of assisting those with heart disease, as well.
"We're not guaranteed this second," said Consolato. "I'm not guaranteed this second in life."
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