Spinal Cord Tumour Survivor Conquers The Boston Marathon

Carolina Ortega is an analyst from Miami, USA. Recently, she has successfully participated in the Boston Marathon. So, what's special about that? In 2015, she had been diagnosed with a tumour in her spinal cord which restricted her ability to walk properly. She was 35 then.

Her neurosurgeon in Miami was of the opinion that Ortega would be lucky to ever jog again. To run another marathon was out of question. However, her determination and courage helped her to move past her tumour. Carolina ran the 26.2 mile Boston Marathon despite all the odds.

Loved Running

Carolina was fond of running. One day, after her usual run, she started feeling uneasy and sought help from a doctor. The doctor revealed that she had developed a tumour in her spinal cord. This had limited her ability to run freely. Her doctor even said that she might not be able to run in the future.

The Asian Age reported, "At one point, Carolina's doctor, Dr Allan Levi told her that she may be able to walk, but she would be lucky to run or even take part in a marathon as that would be close to impossible. Even if the surgery was successful, there was only a 20% chance that she would not walk normally again."

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Underwent surgery

Her doctor told the Daily Mail, "To walk again, she had probably an 80 percent chance to walk normally. To run, maybe a one in 100 chance, and to run a marathon, maybe a one in 10,000 chance."

"The fact that she’s going to run the Boston Marathon, that - to me - is just superhuman."

This put Carolina in a tough position. However, she decided to go for the surgery and fortunately, it was successful. She slowly started walking normally, and with gradual efforts, she soon even began running. This transformation took place in two and a half years until she finally participated in the Boston Marathon. She crossed the tough terrains of the marathon and finished it with pride and honour.

Running a marathon was once a distant dream for Carolina. With her effort and perseverance, she overcame her physical constraints and conquered her dream of running.

Dr Levi added to the Daily Mail, "The fact that she’s going to run the Boston Marathon, that - to me - is just superhuman."

Picture Credit: dailymail.co.uk

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Nimisha is an intern with SheThePeople.TV