MIAMI (WSVN) - A woman traveled to South Florida to undergo a much-needed surgery, helping her overcome the odds and get back on her feet.
At one point, Carolina Ortega’s doctor told her she might not be able to run — or even walk — again.
Carolina Ortega: “So that was the moment I literally broke down in his office.”
But in just a few days, she will be running one of the most well-known and prestigious road races there is — the Boston Marathon.
Carolina Ortega: “It’s very, very exciting. I mean, I still can’t believe it.”
It was 2015 when Ortega first noticed something was wrong after one of her runs.
Carolina Ortega: “I went out on a normal Saturday morning run, and when I got home, my legs felt kind of weird, kind of tingly all over from the top of my hip area all the way down to my toes.”
After going to several doctors without a clear diagnosis, she came to University of Miami Health System.
That’s when she found out she had a tumor inside her spinal cord.
Dr. Allan Levi said surgery would need to be done.
Dr. Allan Levi, neurosurgeon: “And that surgery typically involves removing some bone at the back of the spine, and then removing a tumor from within the spinal cord.”
The surgery was successful.
Two and a half years later, Ortega is not only walking, but running again.
Carolina Ortega: “There’s always that fear. You don’t just forget that it could possibly come back, but I try to live as much as I can not worrying about it too much.”
Dr. Levi said her recovery was even a shock to him.
And Ortega says she still can’t believe she’s heading to the Boston Marathon.
Dr. Allan Levi: “Just the concept of running a marathon after that type of surgery — I’ve never seen it before, and I’ve taken care of a lot of patients with these types of tumors.”
Carolina Ortega: “Monday’s race will be icing on the cake, so to speak. I get emotional, but it is what it is.”
Ortega leaves to Boston on Friday, and the race itself is on Monday.
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