Running the Distance

Valley Survivor Hits Her Stride in the Fight Against Stroke

by Nancy Keane
Helen Keller once said, "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved." It's a quote that strikes a chord with 37-year-old June Estrada of Chandler.

Five years ago, Estrada was on top of the world. An avid runner, she had seven marathons to her credit, and life was very good. Like many of us, when it came to a stroke, Estrada thought it was something that only afflicted the elderly. She soon found out otherwise.

While on a business trip to Florida, Estrada's life underwent a drastic change.When she awoke her first day, she noticed her right hand had a strange numbing sensation. She thought little of it and made her way to the hotel gym to work out.Midway through her workout her right hand lost its grip on the machine's handrail. Still, Estrada didn't give it much thought and headed back to her room.While getting ready for work, the first major warning signs of her stroke began.

"I felt a very painful wave of numbness starting at my right shoulder and moving down to my hand," Estrada recalls. "As it moved down my arm I lost total control of my limb and it became very heavy like an anchor hanging from my side. I was terrified." She was taken to a nearby urgent care center by a coworker, where the physician diagnosed her with a pinched nerve.

As the day progressed, Estrada's condition worsened. The paralysis had expanded down her leg and it was becoming difficult for her to speak. She decided to take the first-available flight home the next day. By then, the right side of her body was completely paralyzed. Convinced the problem was in fact a pinched nerve, Estrada decided to continue with her travel plans. But after landing in Phoenix, she went into full convulsions while being pushed in a wheelchair from her gate. She remembers drifting in and out of consciousness. Estrada had suffered a massive stroke.

Upon arriving at St. Joseph's Hospital andMedical Center, doctors discovered three blood clots in her brain. The right side of her body was completely paralyzed. Her doctors didn't know if she would ever walk again, let alone run. But Estrada had other plans. Refusing to give up, she made a promise to herself as she laid helpless in the ICU. "I vowed that I would not only run again, but I would qualify for and compete in the BostonMarathon." This was a goal Estrada had never accomplished in her seven previous marathon attempts.

Estrada's motivation would eventually carry her through months of rehabilitation, during which she slowly regained movement on the right side of her body. Then, it would be only a matter of time before she laced up her running shoes and hit the pavement. "Through this entire nightmare, I never allowed myself to forget how great it feels to run," she says. "It's that feeling that I hung onto at times when I thought things couldn't get any worse."

Once she reclaimed her life, Estrada wasted no time in contacting the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association. Estrada said she wanted to volunteer her time to help raise stroke awareness. She's done that-and much, much more. As a member of the Train To End Stroke marathon running team, Estrada raised more than $20,000 for stroke research. She competed in her first marathon comeback during the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll marathon in 2006. Later that same year, Estrada raced again in the Kona Half Marathon, placing first in her age group with an astounding time of 1:37.21.

In October 2006, Estrada ran The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, achieving her goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon with a finishing time of 3:38.41. "Participating in the 111th running of the Boston Marathon on April 16, 2007 was a dream come true," she says. "Not only was this a huge accomplishment as a runner but even more so as a stroke survivor."

With the help of inspiring women like Estrada, the American Heart Association is able to raise stroke and heart disease awareness in a profound way. As the old Chinese proverb says, "If you get up one more time than you fall, you will make it through." And no one exemplifies this better than Estrada.

"I hope my story inspires others to accomplish every potential in their own recovery," she says. "A stroke may take the life you had, but it does not have to take away the life you have. Dream big!"

Nancy Keane is the Director of Marketing Communications with the American Heart Association.