Queens man recovers from brain injury to run New York City Marathon: "You can regain life"
NEW YORK -- We're just a few days away from the New York City Marathon, with 50,000 runners expected to participate Sunday.
While all of them have grit and bravery, one runner's story about resilience caught our eye. CBS2's John Dias has more on his inspiring story.
Every runner knows your sneakers need to have proper support. But if you ask 65-year-old Mauricio Blandino, the best support he gets comes from within.
"With that little hope, you get to see all the possibilities that are there," Blandino told Dias.
In 2011, Blandino fell down the stairs of his Jackson Heights, Queens home and was knocked unconscious. It led to a serious brain injury that required surgery.
"Which ended up as a bleeder in my cranial cavity. I had a bilateral craniotomy, both sides," Blandino explained. "I was very close to dying."
He lost his ability to walk, balance and see properly, and he was hospitalized at Mount Sinai Hospital for a month. He had to do extensive rehab to gain just the basic skills again, and to this day, still struggles at times.
"Exhausting to be going around all day long holding yourself up tight, keeping your gut tight to stay straight," he said.
But he never let his injury define him. Quite the opposite, his life became more about his survival and recovery, which he found in running. A way to help heal turned into so much more.
"It just grew and grew. It became my new identity, my new passion in life," he said.
On Sunday, Blandino will run his sixth New York City Marathon -- his 14th in total -- with the help from support runners through Achilles NYC.
Another inspiring part of this incredible story is that he didn't even like to run until after his fall.
"I never found interest in it. I thought it was for silly people. I am one of them," he told Dias.
Now, he's hoping his journey inspires others to overcome major setbacks by having a positive mindset.
"You can regain life, you can find passions again," he said.
After all, he went from patient to marathoner with plenty of perseverance.