In an emotional talk, Maggie Leri, a very active woman who is fond of physical activities, told the Gramo audience in 2017, her story of overcoming, after learning that she suffered from a serious disease with no cure: multiple sclerosis. Today, with great joy, she announces that she has qualified for the Punta del Este Ironman that will take place on March 26.
Maggie Leri’s story gave Gram’s audience goosebumps, which closely followed her story. Leri described how her life was completely normal, playing sports and enjoying her family, before she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disease of the nervous system that affects the brain and spinal cord, and has no cure.
The news had a very negative impact on him and, at first, he lowered his arms and gave up. However, a phrase from his father helped him move forward: “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can be achieved.” Those words were a balm for his mind that was struggling between “going back or going forward”; finally, she opted for the latter.
In this burst of enthusiasm, Maggie found several role models in the sports world. “Inspired by Ramón Arroyo, a man who suffers from the same disease as me and who does extreme competitions, such as the Ironman, helped me decide to train, with the dream of one day being able to compete,” said Maggie during her talk at Gramo.
With the firm intention of achieving that goal, one day, he decided to share his story with his Facebook friends, without suspecting the impact that posting would generate, multiplying like wildfire. Thus, that simple fact and the return of her people encouraged her to continue forward, motivating her even more.
After firm steps, today Maggie Leri puts her body to the test, but above all, her mind, to participate in the 70.3 Ironman Punta del Este, in the relay category, competing in the stage corresponding to the open water swim. This sporting event is a triathlon race that consists of 1,900 m of swimming, 90 km of cycling and 21 km of running, to be completed in a maximum time of approximately 8 hours.
“The challenge is not just a competition, a race or riding a bike. The real challenge is life itself, because we all have problems, be it health, financial or emotional, and sometimes we don’t know how to deal with them. However, the important thing is to understand what is happening to us and move on, ”he concluded.
To listen to his full story, access:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDZPzAzvpmQ
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6BWtVOrfIxILYNyAvxOtvr?si=c5e7_9e5RDqybasxQgURXw
About Gram
Gram is a platform for conversations, stories, success stories, testimonials and ideas where referents inspire action through talks that build the vision of the future. Connect to a community of people committed to the economic and social transformation of Latin America.
Gramo has established itself as a space where content of social interest is exhibited by leading national and international actors.
