AUSTIN -An Austin woman is getting ready for the Chicago marathon next week, but her journey almost came to an end after doctors found a tumor in her brain.
For Sara Ferniza, running is more than just a hobby. But 20 years of running came to a screeching halt when, during one race, Sara fell and hit her head.
“She got a catscan of her head and that’s when we found the tumor in her head,” said Seton neurosurgeon Dr. Mateo Ziu.
“When I received the news that I had a brain tumor it was shocking,” said Ferniza.
Ferniza had meningioma, a lime-sized tumor growing on the tissue covering the brain and the spinal cord. It was creating pressure in the area that control mobility and if left untreated could’ve caused total paralysis.
She decided to take a gamble and go through with a delicate surgery to remove the tumor.
“This tumor had a capsule. So we go inside the tumor, carve it out, and then we collapse the capsule and remove the capsule,” said Dr. Ziu.
The surgery took three hours. What happened next was nothing short of miraculous.
“After six weeks I was able to start jogging,” said Ferniza.
A common recovery takes months but Sara is anything but common.
“My first visit I was like ‘Dr. Ziu, when can I run a marathon?’ He’s like, Sara most of my patients just want to walk!” she recalls.
It took intensive therapy, sharp focus, and unwavering determination.
“After 7 months of my brain surgery I was able to run my next marathon,” said Ferniza.
Clearly, 26.1 miles weren’t enough.
“Since my surgery I’ve been running ultra marathons. I feel like this has motivated me to work harder,” she said.
For Sara, the tumor was never going to slow her down from running.
“It is a part of who I am and I couldn’t see myself without it so I will continue to run for as long as I possibly can.”
The Chicago marathon is Sunday, October 9th.