Why I Run: Michael’s Journey of Enduring Hope
If five-year-old Michael could see himself now, he would never have believed he was healthy enough to run marathons. When Michael was diagnosed with a brain tumor, he suffered from excruciating headaches and endured endless treatments to drain built-up brain fluid from his head. He didn’t even like going for mandatory walks around the hospital with his nurses.
Now, Michael is healthier than ever and running for Team Make-A-Wish in the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon.
Michael’s doctors discovered his golf-ball-sized tumor two days before Christmas in 2004. His life changed immediately, and his parents drove him about five hours to a hospital for emergency surgery. By January, Michael had surgery to remove the tumor, but doctors were only able to safely remove about 80% of it. For a while, his headaches eased, and he felt better.
But when he woke up with a headache in the 3rd grade, his family knew it was serious.
Doctors attributed Michael’s pain to a “phantom headache,” pain that was imagined due to the trauma from his surgery. However, an updated MRI revealed that Michael’s tumor was growing. The only way to escape his pain was through a life-threatening surgery. Michael made the choice himself, deciding he would rather risk everything than live with the pain.
Right before his surgery, he squeezed his dad’s hand and told him he loved him. He told his mom, “Thank you for everything. If I don’t see you again, I love you.” About a week after the procedure, Michael woke up from a coma. Recovery was a long road, but his tumor was completely gone.
Michael slowly became his usual self again. After years of surgery and hospital stays and living in fear of a reoccurrence with his tumor, Michael was finally able to dream about his bucket list and the things he wanted to do in life when Make-A-Wish entered his world. He had always wanted to go to Hawaii, so he wished to go on a cruise around the Hawaiian Islands.
“It was the most awesome thing in the world. Even my parents say it was the best trip of our lives,” said Michael. On his wish trip, he got to make sushi with a sushi chef, meet the captain of the ship, and was even brought on stage and honored at a luau.
With the newfound hope from his wish, Michael grew up and never took his health for granted. In college, he went to the gym every single day and was committed to strengthening himself. One day, he noticed a plaque on the wall for a marathon, which sparked his motivation to run. He committed to training for a marathon and never looked back.
For his first marathon, Michael showed up sporting the same Make-A-Wish t-shirt he wore on his trip to Hawaii. He describes the last couple of miles as “brutal.” His thighs and quads were numb with exhaustion, and he was in immense pain. But someone noticed his Make-A-Wish shirt and told him, “You are amazing for pushing through and being able to do this.”
Suddenly, the exhaustion seemed small compared to what he had already endured. “I thought of all the surgeries I’ve been through, about how I’ve been through so much worse than right now. It became fuel for the fire in my legs,” said Michael. He ended up crossing the finish line in 3rd place.
Despite countless injuries, illnesses, and vision problems from his surgery, Michael never let himself be defeated. “I am still able to do this because I didn’t give up hope,” Michael said. “That is my favorite word in the whole world.”
Now, Michael gets to cross another item off his bucket list – running the TCS New York City Marathon. He plans to wear his Make-A-Wish shirt again to inspire the people of New York, showing them that despite what life throws at you, you can still come out the other side victoriously.
“I was on my deathbed, and now I am crossing the finish line in 3rd place. I want to show children who have lost hope that there is always going to be something that tears you down. We just have to get back up and show them that I am pushing on another day.”
To learn more about how you can cheer on Team Make-A-Wish at the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon visit https://bit.ly/47V5N1t.