Written by Brooke Heather
After a long year of health issues, toward the end of last year, I decided that 2025 was the year I was going to run a half-marathon. In my mind, that was the best possible reward I could imagine as it would be the token of true health and assure me that I had healed. I ran my first kilometre (km) and I felt inspired and motivated, thinking it would be a brightly lit path to my goal. Little did I know what the next six months from then would bring for me and how hard I would have to work to reach that reward.
Following that km, I began to experience more sickness and pain than I had ever. I was taking a week off monthly due to my menstrual symptoms and had reoccurring tonsilitis; both had no remedy. I began to feel saddened that it would not be physically possible for me to train and I felt so incredibly stripped of who I was. Things continued to get more difficult with trips to the emergency room and it just all seemed impossible.
Eventually, I was finally booked in for surgery to try and receive an endometriosis diagnosis. To no surprise, I had stage three (nearly stage four) endo along with other inconveniences. The first month entailed no walking and no working essentially due to the immense pain. The second month allowed me to slowly rebuild my body, and I even ran three kms! Then…Another trip to the emergency room. This time, I had vasculitis, a condition where basically my blood vessels were extremely inflamed and at risk of completely blocking. What did this mean? Hospital night stay, no treatment, and no walking.
With the help of an amazing health professional and the support of my friends and family, I was able to finally heal a month later. We found the cause of my autoimmune disease and were managing my endo. I worked hard to nourish my body, cut gluten and dairy (major inflammatory foods for me), exercised in a balanced routine, and practiced self-care. I decided, why not sign up for the City to Surf 12km race? We had two months to train, and my friend and I were so nervous as we’d never exceeded five kms. With three weeks to go, and my health absolutely smashing it, we decided to run a practice route. We aced it. That day was one of the best days of my life, as dramatic as it sounds, because I knew I had given it my all to do that.
When the day finally came to run our race, I was ridiculously excited. To be able to participate in a huge event after everything I’ve gone through this year was incredible. It was challenging but I’d do it a million times over. We often forget what our bodies are capable of and that it’s not their fault for having problems. The best we can do is treat ourselves and our bodies kindly, never losing sight of the fact we can literally do anything. I will run my half-marathon this year and I’m so proud I persevered. Whether I inspired you or just reminded you that your body is amazing, thank you for reading my journey!
Charlie blog is a SSAF funded initiative.
