HEALTH HERO

DONNA CAMPISI, 47

A newspaper once declared that Donna is “not only a 42-year-old woman, but she has suffered a stroke and is now in training to run a marathon!”, but those words don’t

even begin to describe her strength.

That newspaper quote makes me kinda chuckle, for obvious reasons. First, pointing out that a 42-year-old woman running a marathon is considered unbelievable, but also the word ‘suffered’. I like to use ‘survived’. Surviving a stroke at seven years of age, I’m lucky to be alive. Doctors predicted I’d never walk or talk again. That’s 40 years ago!

I walk with a slight limp, I have a growth difference of 2cm between my left leg and my right leg and I have a slight weakness in my right side altogether.

Then at 14, I faced another challenge when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. But I’ve come a long way since being in a wheelchair.

I’ve never felt confident running since I was a child. But one day I was walking by myself along Elwood beach and I thought, ‘I’m just going to give this running thing a go’. I was really afraid at first and I thought, ‘What if I fall?’

I got to 30 steps that evening. To any other person that was probably pretty lame but I was excited. That’s when I had this crazy idea: could I possibly do a fun run?

So I got two running coaches – one for the physical side and one for nutrition. One of them said to me, “You should do something big; you should run a marathon.”

To finish that marathon was just awesome. I was so happy to get over the finish line and all my friends and family were crying – they knew my journey.

Now I want to use my story to motivate other people. I do public speaking and I run a walking group. I’m celebrating my life. Someone said to me, “Donna, what can’t you do?” I don’t think like that, I focus on what I can do.

“I’ve come a long way since being in a wheelchair… I don’t think about what I can’t do, I focus on what I can.”