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My self-perception was always that of an athlete. I climbed Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States, with my two young adult children. I ran 3 marathons, played tennis, I sailed, I skied, and I completed a Half-Ironman which entails swimming 1.2 miles (1.9k), cycling 56.7 miles (90.1k), and then running 13.1 miles (21.1k).

Then, in late April 2022, a 3" mass was discovered in my head, pressing on my brain, making tasks such as writing, running, and driving a challenge. I could not run for more than 60 seconds, could not write neatly due to tremors, and encountered multiple car accidents due to a lack of peripheral vision.

The mass was surgically removed on May 10, 2022. Thankfully, it was completely benign, and I was discharged after 18 days of being chained to the hospital bed and chair on May 28, 2022.

I had to learn how to walk and how to speak again!
I slowly learned to play tennis again and, on December 4, ran a ½ marathon.

May 14, 2023 qualified for the Boston Marathon, beat time from nine years earlier, ran 9:11 minutes per mile, WON age group, less than one year from hospital discharge. The Boston Marathon is a marathon for which a runner must qualify. On April 15, 2024, Gigi ran and finished the Boston Marathon.

Sports, such as running, marathons, and triathlons, taught me important life lessons:

• Believe in myself
• Work with the hand I am dealt
• Do not play the victim
• Set goals
• Stay energetic and positive
• Never give up
• Embrace challenges

I speak from personal experience; I am eager to share this story with others.

The mass in my head was not my fault. I did not ask for this; I accepted it and dealt with it.

When practicing my serve at 6:30 AM, people would walk by and comment: "I admire your determination, perseverance and tenacity."

The mass in my head could have been disastrous. I could have focused on negative thoughts, including, "I could die; anything can go wrong."

I did not say, "poor me" or "why me?"

I took the position: "How can I get better from this experience?" "How can I be better because of this experience?"

Lots of people get dealt a difficult hand to play.

Embrace challenges, whatever they are.

Here's my message: Like business, "Let's get on with it" is the correct approach. Don't let a bump in the road or even anything more than a bump keep us in a helpless state. Let's take these experiences and leverage them to create a new, exciting life.