It is the end, but not the end. Where do I go from here?

 Sometimes it is easier to avoid something rather than face it.

"Come on Brian, what are you saying?"

I am not able to do running activities anymore. This would also include swimming and biking. My cardiologist has made this recommendation based upon tests. The frustrating thing is that we do not know what has caused the fainting, but it is real and miserable...and frightening.

No more marathons. No more triathlons.

What does this mean? This is the last picture of me doing what the Adrenal Insufficient Warrior Athlete does best.

These two pictures are what came from that effort:

Oct. 4, 2020, the virtual London Marathon. For those not familiar with what happened, click here for the link. Short version: I had an onset of syncope (fainting) twice within moments. I was just over 4 miles from finishing. Instead of finishing and getting a medal, I enjoyed a ride in ambulance to the hospital and now having a cardiologist. WOO to the HOO!

Another question I know y'all have, "What does this mean for the Adrenal Insufficient Warrior Athlete?"

That is a very good question that I do not have an answer to right now.

I began this journey back in 2016 with a simple email to Dr. Mitchell Geffner at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. There was also an email to CARES Foundation. Both Dr. Geffner and Dina Matos at CARES embraced who I was and what I was doing. They have been here during the journey the whole time.

What I do need to do is get out and move. In the words of my doctor, "I do not want you to become a couch potato/cardiac cripple." Since October, I have not had the enthusiasm to get out. Walking is ok. Riding a bike on a trainer in the house is ok. Anything that brings on possible triggers is not allowed.

So, I will still be the Adrenal Insufficient Warrior Athlete. There will need to be some adaptations, but I will still provide the hope, inspiration and encouragement for all of us with Adrenal Insufficiency and especially the rare genetic form I personally have.

This will also mean reworking how I approach my plan for a nonprofit.

Have a wonderful week!

-Brian