The Beginning....
So, what is the real beginning here? Was it when they found my original cyst as a young adult. Was it when they assured me it was benign and not changing? I guess any of those would qualify, but to me the real beginning was August 25th, 2012 when the cyst ruptured!!! Hearing the surgeon say that there were 3 possible outcomes, stroke, seizure or chemical meningitis. Apparently I had chosen wisely or someone else I should say chose wisely for me, chemical meningitis it was and clearly the least severe of the 3.
I was told that the damage had been done and with my sister getting married in October there would be no harm in waiting, so we waited. The headaches were managed and I went on with my life,
December 11, 2012 I underwent a right frontal craniotomy, fancy language for what the doctor would call "minor brain surgery". For the record, my definition of minor was slightly different, it involved him doing it on someone else an me watching!!!
I decided prior to my post op visit that I needed to do something to prove that I was healthy and strong, so after discussing it with my sister and brother in law I decided I was going to do a Spartan Race at CitiField.
Armed with my iPad, and my wife, Lori, who was totally against it I walked into Dr. Sen's office with my brilliant idea!
Unfortunately, I was outvoted, 2-1. The explanation was legitimate, something about a less than 1% chance of stroke which is 1% too high. The doctor did say that running was ok. Now, I HATED running, I mean NO INTEREST at all in running, but with double vision when I looked down my one passion, golf, was no longer an option and I knew that my Type A personality needed an outlet.
So, in the spirit of "go big or go home" I reached out to the one runner friend I had, Ray, and signed up for my first race. Not a 5k, but a 10k on Memorial Day of 2013.
And so began my running journey, a new way of life, new friends, 11 half marathons in 3 years, countless other races and the NYC Marathon in 2016.
I was told that the damage had been done and with my sister getting married in October there would be no harm in waiting, so we waited. The headaches were managed and I went on with my life,
December 11, 2012 I underwent a right frontal craniotomy, fancy language for what the doctor would call "minor brain surgery". For the record, my definition of minor was slightly different, it involved him doing it on someone else an me watching!!!
I decided prior to my post op visit that I needed to do something to prove that I was healthy and strong, so after discussing it with my sister and brother in law I decided I was going to do a Spartan Race at CitiField.
Armed with my iPad, and my wife, Lori, who was totally against it I walked into Dr. Sen's office with my brilliant idea!
Unfortunately, I was outvoted, 2-1. The explanation was legitimate, something about a less than 1% chance of stroke which is 1% too high. The doctor did say that running was ok. Now, I HATED running, I mean NO INTEREST at all in running, but with double vision when I looked down my one passion, golf, was no longer an option and I knew that my Type A personality needed an outlet.
So, in the spirit of "go big or go home" I reached out to the one runner friend I had, Ray, and signed up for my first race. Not a 5k, but a 10k on Memorial Day of 2013.
And so began my running journey, a new way of life, new friends, 11 half marathons in 3 years, countless other races and the NYC Marathon in 2016.
💖💖💖🏅💖💖💖
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