Motivation Monday provided and written by Enmotive.
Gloria Hoagland, 33, has been participating in races for years, but this year’s Hot Chocolate 15k/5k in Dallas was especially important. After suffering a grand mal seizure on October 2, 2016, Gloria was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. Hot Chocolate Dallas was her first race since her diagnosis; the race served as one of the components of her plan to live each day with joy and take nothing for granted.
Rather than taking the diagnosis lying down, Gloria is focusing on living the rest of her life as fully as possible. “I want to serve as an inspiration for my daughter,” she says, and she’s not letting anything stand in her way.
“Why would you give up, when you’ve made it 95% of the way, just because it gets hard? The last 5% may be a struggle, but you can do it. I may have to walk, or crawl, or throw up, but I’ll be finishing the race on Saturday.”
Though some days might be a struggle, she keeps on fighting. She deals with daily seizures now, and completed her most recent round of chemotherapy on race day.
As veteran racers, Gloria’s family had been interested in running the Hot Chocolate 15k/5k, but the timing didn’t work out until this year, and even cancer couldn’t stop Gloria from crossing the finish line! Gloria and her step-daughter Kate did the 5k together, while her husband Charles took on the 15k. Gloria has been running races since she was a teenager, and loves the feeling of camaraderie, and of course the party at the end!
Gloria is proof that you can do amazing things, if you just put your mind to it. When asked if she has any advice for people who think they can’t run races, or are afraid to tackle the longer distance, she replied: “You’re always stronger than you think you are.” Whether it’s facing each day with a positive attitude, or fighting to the finish line on a tough run, Gloria is truly working to live her life to the fullest. As she writes on her website: “The other reality to this situation is enjoying each moment and day a bit more. Taking it all in realizing life is a gift. I thought I was doing that before but this takes it to the next level.”
To learn more about Gloria’s fight against cancer, you can visit her website.
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