Mara

I’m no stranger to adversity. When I was 8 years old, my mom passed away from stage 4 breast cancer. As a child and teenager, I turned to sports as my escape, playing soccer and softball, and then began competitively indoor rock climbing when I was 13. I struggled with a slew of chronic symptoms (mainly fatigue and GI issues) for most of my teenage years with no real answers or diagnosis. I struggled to get doctors to believe my very real symptoms. It wasn’t until I was 20 and developed severe iron deficiency anemia while being in a bad GI flare that doctors finally took my condition seriously. I traveled to the Mayo Clinic to get diagnosed, and after 2 weeks of testing, I was finally diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.

I remember crying tears of relief when I woke up from my colonoscopy with my diagnosis because after so many years of not knowing what was wrong with me, I finally felt like I had hope. I thankfully have responded well to my first biologic therapy and am in clinical remission. I went on to struggle with recurrent C.diff infections, but after a fecal transplant last year, my GI tract is feeling the best its felt my whole life.

Unfortunately, a year later, when I was 21, I was diagnosed with Addison’s disease, an autoimmune condition affecting my adrenal glands. My body no longer produces any cortisol, and I now use an insulin pump to deliver a 24/7 infusion of cortisol replacement.

I had really fallen out of an exercise routine and being active for a while when I was at my sickest, but I always dreamed of being healthy again one day to get back into it. I have known about Team Challenge since I was diagnosed, and it has always been on my mind and a goal of mine. I took a big leap of faith in signing up to ride with the cycle team this past year. I had no idea if my health would stay stable enough to allow me to train and complete the bike ride. I am so thankful I took that chance on myself and my body because being a part of this team has changed my life.

My training was not perfect, but my will to challenge myself on ride day was so strong. I ended up completing the metric century route, riding a total of 65 miles! The amount of introspection and growth that occurred for me over the 6 hours I spent on my bike that day has forever changed my outlook on my chronic illness journey and my life. I am physically stronger than I think!

I remember riding alongside Coach Marc early in the day and telling him I was living my perfect day and was so thankful to be on my bike. Every time I’ve been on my bike since that day, I can’t help but feel the same way. Every day I’m on my bike, I think of my TC cycle family and feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for my current state of health that allows me to experience joy in this way. There were years of my life where this was not possible, and I will never take these feelings for granted.

Marathon #70 – Recap