Alumnus Melissa Finson Runs the Race of a Lifetime

Finson, 27, would need that reminder, and the strength that came from it, after the car crash that left her unable to walk...

She begged doctors for an answer to her fears, and all they could tell her was they thought eventually things would get better. "It was absolutely terrifying," she said. As the pain got better, and her body began to cooperate, she asked doctors if she could run again. After a month, she was ready. They made her wait three. She started with a half-mile. It was hard, but running was always hard. That was the point. That's how she knew it made her better. Eventually, doctors didn't limit her. They just told her to stop running when it hurt. That's how she found herself at the Aims Community College Aardvark Fun Run 5K on April 28... She hoped to finish in under 40 minutes. She crossed the line in 37 and collapsed and bawled.

Finson, 27, would need that reminder, and the strength that came from it, after the car crash that left her unable to walk...

She begged doctors for an answer to her fears, and all they could tell her was they thought eventually things would get better. "It was absolutely terrifying," she said. As the pain got better, and her body began to cooperate, she asked doctors if she could run again. After a month, she was ready. They made her wait three. She started with a half-mile. It was hard, but running was always hard. That was the point. That's how she knew it made her better. Eventually, doctors didn't limit her. They just told her to stop running when it hurt. That's how she found herself at the Aims Community College Aardvark Fun Run 5K on April 28... She hoped to finish in under 40 minutes. She crossed the line in 37 and collapsed and bawled.