Posted: September 19, 2007

Athletics: Counting Down To The 30th Anniversary Lasalle Bank Chicago Marathon

30 Inspiring Stories in 30 Days Deanna Arnold, the 13th runner in the series, is simply celebrating being alive. After suffering severe damage to her liver and successfully receiving a transplant, a resulting brain injury stole her ability to function on a daily basis. Having reclaimed her life by undergoing intense therapy, Deanna has achieved things once deemed impossible – including running marathons. WHO: Deanna Arnold AGE: 38 OCCUPATION: President & Founder of "Dare to Be Alive Foundation Inc" HOMETOWN: South Yarmouth, Massachusetts PREVIOUS MARATHONS: 4 (3 Boston, 1 Marine Corps) RUNNER STORY: Deanna Arnold and her family were stunned in December 1992 when she was diagnosed with liver failure. She had suffered a rare reaction to an over-the-counter medication which caused her liver to be rendered useless. Her doctors explained that without an immediate transplant, she was certain to die within the next 48 hours. Fortunately for Deanna, the family of an organ donor agreed to allow her to be the recipient of a healthy liver. The surgery was a success, but something was still not right. As a complication of the events, Deanna had suffered a traumatic brain injury causing her memory to be depleted. She was struggling to remember simple events for more than fifteen minutes at a time. She went from maintaining a 4.0 GPA at a local college to reading at a 5th grade level. Her life would never be the same. For Deanna, this was unacceptable. She was not ready to give up everything she had worked for throughout her life. She resolved to utilize every resource she had available, starting with the staff at Hartford Hospital. There she completed a variety of daily exercises to relearn simple tasks such as how to tie her shoes and regain her ability to read and write at a college level. Upon release from Hartford Hospital, Deanna aligned herself with the Easter Seals. Known for their specialty in assisting people suffering from brain injuries, they were able to work with her in continuing her therapy. Their help and her determination resulted in the completion of her college degree with an astonishing 3.8 GPA. With so many amazing accomplishments, she now yearned to thank the people who helped her to heal, recover and ultimately reach her goal to regain her life. She has since founded a non-profit organization known as “Dare To Be Alive Foundation, Inc.” with a goal of raising organ donor awareness and assistance to transplant donors, recipients, and their families. This October, Deanna will run in her 5th LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. She previously competed three times in the Boston Marathon and once in the Marine Corps Marathon. Her Foundation is looking forward to sponsoring an entire running team called “Pre Owned Certified Running Parts” as part of a fundraiser and as a method to raise awareness for their cause. As leader of the team, Deanna inspires other transplant recipients and families to endure the traumas from surgery and to never give up the fight to succeed…no matter what their goal may be! WEB SITE: www.daretobealive.org RACE INFORMATION: The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon will celebrate its 30th anniversary on Sunday, October 7, 2007 as 45,000 participants advance to the start line, embarking on the culmination of 45,000 personal journeys. Along with the massive field of recreational runners, the 26.2-mile course will welcome a full field of world renowned professional athletes drawn to the flat, fast, urban setting and the potential to break world and national records. The professionals will compete for prize money and points in the World Marathon Majors series which will crown its first male and female champions with $500,000 each at the close of 2007. Since the inception of its charity program in 2002, The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon has generated more than $27.5 million for a variety of charitable causes including $9.5 million in the 2006 event alone. Registration for the race opened on January 1, 2007 and closed when it reached capacity on April 18. Deanna’s story and all previously released runner stories are available at ChicagoMarathon.com. Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest